When actor and writer
Chazz Palminteri was a nine year old boy sitting innocently on a cement
stoop in front of his Bronx home, he witnessed a murder. He saw two men
fighting five feet in front of him, ostensibly over a parking space,
when a third man stepped in to help his friend. He killed his friend's
opponent and, thus, rescued his friend. The police, no matter how they
tried, couldn't get Chazz, who was called by his given name Calogero,
to testify.
In the midst of this devastating encounter, Chazz's
eyes met those of the stranger's, who turned out to be Sonny, the capo
di tutti capi, or "boss of all bosses" or godfather if you prefer. The
young impressionable lad soon found himself swept into a different and
exciting world that Sonny commanded, into a fancy club, fetching coffee
and cutting lemons and limes, rolling dice and collecting tips. Chazz's
father, a hardworking bus driver, did not approve of his son's new
associates and when Sonny tried to give him a lucrative job he refused.
Soon "C" as he was called became Sonny's "penance, something good to
leave behind."
Chazz was now influenced by two father figures.
His dad Lorenzo gave him a card that stated "Don't waste your talent,"
while Sonny taught him life lessons like "It's better to be feared than
to be loved" and "Never underestimate your enemy." Fast forward several
decades and Chazz Palminteri, the aspiring actor, a dream he had
harbored since he was ten, called out his memories of that long ago
harrowing image and translated it into a ten minute monologue for an
acting class. He had been at the Actor's Studio in New York City where
he studied under Lee Strasberg and now was in Los Angeles looking for
his big break. In between stints on television shows like "Hill Street
Blues," he had a job as a doorman/bouncer at a high rollers club. A man
was rude when he tried to enter and Chazz refused to let him pass. The
patron exclaimed, "I'll have your job in 15 minutes." The boss suddenly
appeared and hugged Swifty Lazar,a talent agent and deal maker to the
stars, and, true to his word, Chazz found himself unemployed a quarter
of an hour later.
Searching for a good role and not finding one,
the inventive actor set to work creating his own. The ten minute
monologue about his early Bronx life grew minute by minute until it
peaked at an hour and forty minutes long. Embracing eighteen different
characters, he made it a one man show, "A Bronx Tale" that "exploded"
when he produced it in a small club and suddenly became the hottest
property since "Rocky" to hit the theater circuit.
Offers of
$250,000, $500,000 and, ultimately, a million dollars were offered to
make it into a movie but never with Chazz in the main role as Sonny.
With only $200 in the bank, it took a lot of chutzpah to stay focused on
his dream.
That dedication paid off when weeks later Robert
DeNiro walked in one night and saw the show. He told Chazz at their
second meeting, "If you make it (the film) with me, I'd make it right."
With DeNiro directing his first film and playing Chazz's dad Lorenzo
and Chazz as Sonny LoSpeechio, "A Bronx Tale" became a strong, witty,
poignant coming of age tale by a master storyteller.
Chazz
recalls his early years as an "outrageous time to grow up. I had a
great childhood in an Italian neighborhood with happy times, sports and
some violence." Writing about it has proven therapeutic, "a
transference of energy from negative to positive." He is grateful his
father lived to see his success and his mom, now 94, can look forward to
his upcoming appearances on "Modern Family" and "Legends" on
television.
To witness this classic performance, book your
tickets ($75) for one night only, Saturday, September 6 at 8 p.m. when
Chazz Palminteri will recreate his iconic "A Bronx Tale" at Foxwoods
Resort Casino, at the Fox Theater, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard,
Mashantucket. Call 800-200-2882 or online at www.foxwoods.com. A
special three-course dinner package is available at Cedars Steak House
or Al Dente for $130, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. that night only. Make
reservations. Tax and tip are included.
Chazz Palminteri is a
man of many talents, none of which he wastes, as his father had warned.
A veteran of 50 films like "Analyze This" and "The Usual Suspects," he
also runs classes three or four times a year "One on One Auditions" and
the website www.chazzpalminteri.net to "give back" and help young actors
as well as hosts a new Baltimore restaurant "Chazz A Bronx Original."
There his cold fire oven pizza cooks in 90 seconds, "sweet and fluffy on
the inside, crispy and caramelized on the outside."
As for
those life lessons, Chazz Palminteri also has learned "family is
important" and "stay close to the things you value." Come see him put
all these lessons to good use.
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