Palminteri brings his 'Bronx Tale' to town
Actor Chazz Palminteri grew up in the Bronx. He had such a rich childhood experience that he later wrote a 1989 one-man off-Broadway show "A Bronx Tale," in which he played 18 characters. His show later became Robert De Niro's directorial movie debut in 1993.
Palminteri has now revived his original stage show, which comes to Chicago's Oriental Theatre Tuesday. I spoke to him by phone.
Q: What's the difference between doing your stage show in 1989 and doing it again 20 years later?
A: Well, 20 years later, I now have children. Back then, I related to the little boy talking to his father. Now, I'm the father talking to his little boy. I would say it was a great show back then. It's a great show now.
Q: How so?
A: It's richer and deeper and better. It's funnier than the movie. It's a visceral experience. It reaches out and grabs you. A whole generation never saw the original show. I decided to take it across the country.
Q: Was it tough to get back into multi-personality mode after two decades?
A: No. It's like riding a bike. One rehearsal. It all came back to me.
Q: You were offered a lot of money by Hollywood to sell film rights to "A Bronx Tale." You refused to sell them, even though you only had $20 left to your name. Is that right?
A: I was offered $100,000. Then $250,000. Then $500,000. Finally, $1 million. But I refused to sell unless I wrote the screenplay and starred in the movie. Robert De Niro saw my show one night. He decided he wanted to direct the movie version.
Q: So, if you had pocketed the $1 million and sold the film rights, would I be talking to Chazz Palminteri, movie star, today?
A: That's a good question. I think I still would have made it no matter what. I'm very confident. I don't know if things would have happened exactly the way they did, but they would have happened for me. A lot of people forget that "A Bronx Tale" didn't even come out before I got an Oscar nomination for my part in Woody Allen's movie ("Bullets Over Broadway").
Q: What was the best thing you took from the experience of growing up in the Bronx?
A: You learn to size people up. Be suspicious. I developed a set of X-ray eyes and could see if someone was lying to me, trying to con me. That really helped me with all my dealings with Hollywood. I would stay three steps ahead of them. I think that's how I learned to trust people.
Q: One last question. Did you like the original ending to William Friedkin's "Jade" where the cops nab you, or the released version where your corrupt thug character triumphs?
A: The first.
Q: That means you're the kind of guy who fundamentally believes in justice in a moral universe, doesn't it?
A: I think you're right.
"A Bronx Tale" runs Tuesday through March 22 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. Tickets cost $18-$80 and can be purchased at Broadway In Chicago offices, Ticketmaster locations and at BroadwayInChicago.com. For information, see ABronxTaleTour.com.