Stage Review

A Bronx Tale (2007)

Reviewed by Aubry D'Arminio | Oct 26, 2007

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EW's GRADE

A-

Details Opening Date: Oct 04, 2007; Lead Performance: Chazz Palminteri; Writer: Chazz Palminteri; Director: Jerry Zaks; Genres: Comedy, Drama

ALL THAT CHAZZ Palmintieri somehow cooks up something fresh from what seems like day-old ingredients in the revival of A... A Bronx Tale, Chazz Palminteri

Image credit: Joan Marcus

ALL THAT CHAZZ Palmintieri somehow cooks up something fresh from what seems like day-old ingredients in the revival of A Bronx Tale

A Bronx Tale's conceit is cringe-worthy: a one-man bioplay starring a 55-year-old (Chazz Palminteri) as, among others, his adolescent self, his ma, and a babbo named Frankie Coffee Cake. The story? Well-trod, even in its 1989 L.A. debut and '93 De Niro-directed film version: Sicilian boy struggles to please his puritanical pop and the fatherly local racketeer. How it all feels spanking-new seems like a grift. Palminteri — unsung in too many Mob movies — has a rubber face, affable swagger, and winning insight: Never mistake kindness for weakness, don't waste your talent, and know how to make sauce. A-
(Tickets: 212-239-6200 or abronxtaleonbroadway.com)

Originally posted Oct 26, 2007 Published in issue #962 Nov 02, 2007 Order article reprints

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