In 1989, actor Chazz Palminteri wrote and performed a one-man off-Broadway show called “A Bronx Tale,” based on his childhood growing up in the famous New York borough.
During the original off-Broadway and subsequent Los Angeles engagements, actor Robert De Niro came to see the show, and liked it so much that he acquired the rights to the play and brought the story — and Palminteri — to the big screen in 1993, making his film directorial debut in the process.
Palminteri performed his one-man show “A Bronx Tale” on Broadway again during the 2007–08 Season.
After a lengthy development process, “A Bronx Tale” was adapted into a new musical with a book by Palminteri, music by Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast”), and lyrics by Glenn Slater. It premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey on Feb. 4, 2016, before opening Dec. 1, that same year at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre.
The musical is co-directed by De Niro and Jerry Zaks, who directed Palminteri’s solo show on Broadway in 2007.
After 700 performances, “A Bronx Tale” ended its Broadway run on Aug. 5, 2018. It became the second longest running show in the history of the Longacre Theatre.
Now, a touring version of “A Bronx Tale” makes its way to Segerstrom Center March 10–22.
The plot is simple: It’s the coming of age story that takes place in the Bronx, circa 1960. An Italian-American boy named Calogero meets a mafia boss and is tempted by a life of organized crime, yet is torn between that and the values of his honest, hard-working father.
Add an original doo-wop score plus 60s-style pop and a ballad or two in Menken’s recognizable style, and you have a fun and charming musical about respect, loyalty, love, and family.
The touring cast includes Nick Fradiani, who plays the father, Lorenzo. Fradiani is making his musical theater debut, but fans of American Idol will recognize him as the 2015 season champion.
For more information, visit SCFTA.org.
