Compelling ÔBronx TaleÕ is refreshingly good theater

I wondered why Chazz PalminteriÕs ÒA Bronx TaleÓ was suddenly booked into the Venetian Showroom for a limited run this month.

Was it because Palminteri is Italian, and his semi-autobiographical solo show fits the casinoÕs Italianate theme? Because Wayne Brady canceled all his October dates in the showroom?

Because Palminteri felt like ending his yearlong national tour with a comfy work-play stint in Las Vegas?

Whatever the reason, this richly comic and compelling ÒBronx TaleÓ fits in here like a bespoke Armani suit or a pair of Gucci loafers. With its doo-wop heart and street-wise soul, itÕs a close cousin to ÒJersey BoysÓ at the adjacent Palazzo.

Snazzy in a sharp charcoal suit, shooting his cuffs underneath a streetlamp at the Bronx, Palminteri situates us in 1960, where his wide-eyed 9-year-old self, Calogero Palminteri, watches over his world from a concrete stoop at the corner of 187th Street and Belmont Avenue.

After witnessing a shooting, and choosing not to rat out the culprit in a police lineup, Calogero finds himself at the wavering center of a moral Cold War between father figures. Sonny, the up-and-coming neighborhood crime boss, takes the green kid under his wing, and Lorenzo, CalogeroÕs upright father, a bus driver, tries to steer his son away from SonnyÕs tough-guy glamour.

ÒA Bronx TaleÓ is expressly concerned with masculine emotion and sentiment. Is it better, Palminteri wonders, to be loved, or feared? (A subtheme about the tragedy of wasted talent is underdeveloped and somewhat rushed.)

Although Palminteri is the sole performer, calling this a one-man show doesnÕt do it justice — the stage seems crowded with a neighborhood full of vivid characters.

Working with veteran director Jerry Zaks, Palminteri emerges as a sort of Italian Twain or Dickens, constellating a neighborhood full of quirky characters — heÕs especially affectionate when detailing the wiseguys — Jojo the Whale, Frankie Coffeecake, Crazy Mario — who shoot craps at Chez Joey, the bar next-door to the stoop.

Predating ÒThe SopranosÓ by a decade, ÒA Bronx TaleÓ was first presented on stage in 1989; in 1993 it was made into a movie with Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci.

Twenty years on, Palminteri is fit and energetic, his charisma undimmed, sounding out every consonant in the Bronx patois, enacting the street scenes and bar brawls as if heÕs recalling it all right here, right now.

LetÕs hope ÒA Bronx TaleÓ comes up a winner for its hosts at the Venetian. And that neighboring venues take the hint and bring in short runs of quality stage shows.

However Palminteri ended up here, itÕs heartening to see this caliber of acting — and genuine theater — on the Strip.

Now thatÕs what IÕm talkinÕ about!

Joe Brown can be reached at 259-8801 or at joe.brown@lasvegassun.com.

IF YOU GO

What: ÒA Bronx Tale,Ó written by and starring

Chazz Palminteri

When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, through Oct. 24

Where: Venetian Showroom

Admission: $38.25-$138.25; 414-9000, venetian.com

Running time: About 80 minutes; no intermission

Audience advisory: Adult language