Chazz Palminteri to perform ‘A Bronx Tale’ at MGM Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - In this month’s Spotlight on Entertainment, actor Chazz Palminteri will bring his renowned one-man stage play, “A Bronx Tale”, to MGM Springfield this Saturday.

Struggling to make ends meet with just $200 in his pocket, Palminteri wrote “A Bronx Tale” in 1988. The one-act play depicted his childhood including witnessing a gangland killing when he was just nine years old. He brought 18 characters to life in the play, which also later became a hit Broadway musical and movie and he told Western Mass News writing the play was cathartic.

“It is not a gangster piece. ‘Bronx Tale’ is a family movie. It is about the thing my father said to me. Those were his words, ‘The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.’ I get a lot of families that bring their kids, 10-, 11- and 12-year old’s,” Palminteri explained.

Palminteri said the play contains lifelong lessons.

“It makes children see that the choices you make will shape your life forever. You make the wrong choice, you could not be here. That’s the way it is,” Palminteri added.

Palminteri cherished the opportunity to work with Robert de Niro on the movie adaptation of the play.

“Look, a bad director can ruin a great script. It is very simple, but a great director can make a great script classic and that is what Bob did. I wrote the script and he made it sing…Bob de Niro is one of the greatest artists of all time and, look, I always tell people the movie came out so great because of Bob,” Palminteri said.

Palminteri hopes the play inspires people.

“I think when people see it, they get inspired about their own lives. They get inspired about talking to their children…What it does, it inspires people, not just to be an actor or writer. Whatever they are doing, they have to work hard,” Palminteri added.

This will mark Palminteri’s first time in Springfield.

“The people in Springfield, who never saw this show, have got to come to the MGM and see this. I say it again. It will be a night in the theater you will never forget,” Palminteri noted.

You can CLICK HERE for tickets to Palminteri’s upcoming show.