A Bronx Tale

A Bronx Tale, written by and starring Academy Award-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri, will be making a stop in Chicago. This funny and touching memoir about a young man's experiences growing up in the Bronx during the 1960s will play at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre for a limited engagement March 10 - 22, 2009.

Academy Award-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri returns to the stage in an unforgettable performance fresh from a successful run on Broadway, where it was praised by the critics and adored by the public. In A Bronx Tale, the celebrated play on which he based the legendary movie, Palminteri vividly depicts a young boy's rough childhood in the 1960s-era Bronx and the unforgettable people he encountered. A classic coming-of-age story about reaching ones true potential and trusting one's heart, A Bronx Tale is directed by four-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Zaks.

A Bronx Tale was first mounted off Broadway in 1989 and helped establish Palminteri as a writer and actor with a distinct voice. In A Bronx Tale, Palminteri brings 18 characters to vivid life, depicting a rough childhood on Bronx streets populated by a cast of friends and enemies. This production of A Bronx Tale directed by Tony Award-winner Jerry Zaks opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre, quickly becoming one of the few bona fide hits of the 2007-2008 Broadway season.

During the original Off Broadway and subsequent Los Angeles engagements of A Bronx Tale, Palminteri caught the attention of studios, producers and directors - all of whom wanted to make the film version - without him. Palminteri turned down a million dollar offer for the film rights, despite having $200 in his bank account at the time. Then, Robert DeNiro came to see the show, and brought the story and star Palminteri to the screen in 1993, making his directorial debut in the process.

Chazz Palminteri has over 50 movies to his credit including The Usual Suspects, Bullets over Broadway, Analyze This, Hurly Burly, Mulholland Falls, and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. He has also directed the HBO series Oz (episode, Unnatural Disasters), Showtime's Women vs. Men, and the feature film Noel, starring Susan Sarandon, Penelope Cruz, Robin Williams and Paul Walker. He was also seen on the New York stage in the play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui starring with Al Pacino, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, and Billy Crudup.

A Bronx Tale will run March 10 - 22, 2009 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre ( 24 W. Randolph St). Tickets are $18 to $80 and are on sale at ticketmaster.com.