** (out of ****)
It's the end of the world as we know, and Colin Quinn for one most definitely doesn't feel fine.
In fact, in this incredibly brief 75-minute so-called "history of the world," a very somber Quinn effectively uses symmetry to prove that civilization's downfall really is all Greek to him. Seriously. As if channeling philosopher George Santanaya, Quinn seeks to remind his audience that "Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it."
In Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, the SNL alum offers a PowerPoint dirge on the world's greatest civilations, examining the Achilles' heels contributing to their seemingly inevitable decline. And you'll never guess which super power's turn at the downward swing it ultimately is in this cautionary comic stand.
As if the message weren't enough of a downer, Quinn does himself few favors by failing to connect with his audience. Rather than engage members directly (and the Playbill comes with a warning not to catcall), Quinn keeps his eyes focused somewhere in the middle of the theatre as if there's invisible cue cards to be found. One wonders where Jerry Seinfeld was, since it seems clear he wasn't really providing any meaningful direction.
That's not to say that there isn't smart humor, and sometimes profound at that, to be found in this extended, stand-up comedy routine. Quinn lands many decent laughs. But more often than not, Quinn is much too serious in imploring his audience to wake up with a clarion call all his own.
Long Story Short? Colin Quinn's biting comedy would be outright hilarious if it weren't so sad.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.
Labels: Broadway, Colin Quinn, Comedy, Jerry Seinfeld, Long Story Short, One Man Show, Standup Comedy, The SOB Review
Long Story Short, Colin Quinn Is Broadway-BoundSo there I was, clicking through
Telecharge last evening when I saw that
Colin Quinn's
Long Story Short -- the comedian's one-man show directed by
Jerry Seinfeld -- had
tickets on sale for his
return to Broadway's
Helen Hayes Theatre beginning October 22. I immediately
tweeted about it last night.
The official
site for the show indicates that this limited engagement will run 11 weeks through January 8, 2011. The site
describes the show as follows:
Comically channeling the demise of every great world empire, Colin Quinn (SNL) takes the audience through an uproarious history of the world in 75 minutes. From his personification of Caesar as the original Italian mobster to his depiction of the pizza-ordering styles of imperialists and colonialists, Quinn is at his satirical best, taking on the attitudes, appetites and habits that toppled the world’s most powerful nations. Directed by Jerry Seinfeld, Long Story Short proves that throughout human history, the joke has always been on us.
A formal announcement hit right about the time I initially posted this story. This is a transfer of Quinn's recent run from the Bleecker Street Theatre that ended September 4. It marks Jerry Seinfeld's first Broadway credit as a director.
This is
Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. Labels: Broadway, Colin Quinn, Comedy, First Word On New Show, Jerry Seinfeld, Long Story Short, One Man Show, Standup Comedy
Palminteri To Tell Bronx Tale A Little LongerRegular readers will recall
how wowed I was by the riveting storytelling ability of
Chazz Palminteri in his breathtaking one-man show
A Bronx Tale -- currently playing at Broadway's
Walter Kerr Theatre.
Now it's been announced that the show will extend its run by two weeks until February 24 "due to ticket demand,"
according to Playbill. Additionally, Sunday evening performances have also been added for the month of December.
While the show's capacity dropped to just 55.2% last week, apparently there's still plenty of mojo left in the production directed by
Jerry Zaks that enables Palminteri to tell his story of growing up in the Bronx. I know he succeeded in completely sucking me into it.
Last month, during the Broadway stagehands strike that shut down his show,
Palminteri graciously addressed 900 New York City students from 13 of the Big Apple's public high schools; they had originally been scheduled to see him perform on November 14 in conjunction with the Theatre Development Fund’s Stage Doors Program. Instead, they had an opportunity for a conversational question and answer session.
If you haven't seen the show already, consider putting it on your list. It's
that good.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:A Bronx Tale (The SOB Review) (October 26, 2007)
Bronx Boy Takes Bite Out Of Big Apple Tonight (October 25, 2007)
Bronx Tale Set To Begin Anew In Manhattan (August 8, 2007)
Labels: A Bronx Tale, Broadway, Chazz Palminteri, Extension, One Man Show, Play, Revival
A Bronx Tale (The SOB Review) - Walter Kerr Theatre, New York, NY***1/2 (out of ****)Move over
Jersey Boys, there's a new kid in town. At last,
Chazz Palminteri's enthralling solo show
A Bronx Tale has arrived to cheers on Broadway.
Not since
Jersey Boys burst onto the Broadway scene two years ago has the Great White Way so enthusiastically embraced a long dormant Broadway demographic: the
bridge and tunnel Baby Boomer goombah.*
And I mean that with
all due respect and admiration. I swear! I realize not every Rialto show these days caters to this long neglected group. But with
A Bronx Tale, audiences of every type can appreciate its universal message.
Just like
Jersey Boys, this real-life story centers on growing up Italian in some of the mean streets circling Manhattan. While
Jersey Boys includes a young tough character who grows up to be a big-time actor (
Joe Pesci), its musical plot revolves around the popular singing group,
The Four Seasons. Contrast that with
A Bronx Tale, which in first person voice tells how a young tough grows up to be a big-time actor (Palminteri) while referencing a popular singing group,
Dion and the Belmonts, who inhabit the same slice of Bronx.
In Palminteri's
Bronx Tale, the actor/writer brings to vibrant life 18 different characters from his coming of age, including himself as a mere boy of 9 named Calogero. At that tender young age, he witnesses the exacting revenge offered by Sonny, the neighborhood's
capo di tutti capi, and ends up in his tutelage and becomes known as "C."
While young C finds what he perceives as newfound cachet mistaking it for respect, the boy also learns from his hardworking father what it really means to be tough, along with a mantra that has held Palminteri to this day: "The saddest thing in the world is wasted talent."
There is no wasted talent on this stage. Palminteri's ability to tell his captivating story in so many varying voices is grounded in fact, even if some of the historical details aren't -- his tale begins in 1960, which he describes as a time when
John F. Kennedy was in the White House (while Kennedy was elected in November 1960, he didn't take office until 1961).
Nevertheless, Palminteri ultimately succeeds in this ninety minute tale, beginning with a moderately amusing foundation and then building and building to a climax that is indisputably gripping theatre. Most astounding was his use of slow motion effect to relay some of the production's most riveting moments.
Make no mistake, Palminteri is a master story teller, from his hilarious lessons on how to know whether a woman is wife material to his heartfelt disclosure on his attraction to a beautiful young African-American woman amidst a sea of racial bigotry.
Told from the heart, it remains to be seen what this
Bronx Tale's next chapter will be, whether it's a Tony nod for Best Special Theatrical Event or Best Revival of a Play. But it's ultimate message is so powerful and breathtaking that it deserves recognition long after its limited run comes to a close on February 10.
* Defined as "a close friend or associate -- used especially among Italian-American men" (Webster)This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for ticket information.Related Stories:Bronx Boy Takes Bite Out Of Big Apple Tonight (October 25, 2007)
Bronx Tale Set To Begin Anew In Manhattan (August 8, 2007)
Labels: A Bronx Tale, Broadway, Chazz Palminteri, One Man Show, Play, Revival, The SOB Review
Bronx Boy Takes Bite Out Of Big Apple TonightNobody ever said it was a straight path from the Bronx to Manhattan. Just ask
Chazz Palminteri.
Eighteen long years after his Off-Broadway sensation
A Bronx Tale first appeared before making a 2700 mile westward trajectory to Los Angeles -- and another 14 years after his one man show was turned into a
feature film by
Robert DeNiro -- Palminteri's coming of age story finally arrives on the Great White Way.
Opening tonight at the
Walter Kerr Theatre under the direction of
Jerry Zaks, Palminteri will single-handedly bring 18 characters from his youth to life.
Will the critics deliver a Bronx cheer? Find out tomorrow as I provide a critics' capsule along with my own SOB Review.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for ticket information.Related Stories:Bronx Tale Set To Begin Anew In Manhattan (August 8, 2007)
Labels: A Bronx Tale, Chazz Palminteri, Film, One Man Show, Opening Night, Play, Revival, Special Theatrical Event
Bronx Tale Set To Begin Anew In ManhattanAccording to Variety,
Chazz Palminteri is set to make his Broadway debut this fall when he resurrects his 1989 one-man show
A Bronx Tale under the direction of
Jerry Zaks. The limited run engagement is set to play the
Walter Kerr Theatre (recently vacated by a
surprisingly stormy Grey Gardens)
for 18 weeks beginning this October.
A silver screen version of "
A Bronx Tale" was brought to life by
Robert DeNiro in 1993.
Despite his well-deserved Academy Award nomination thirteen years ago for "
Bullets Over Broadway" and fine work in other films like "
The Usual Suspects," audiences have seen precious little of Palminteri recently. In fact, it's been five years since I caught him in
The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui -- staged by the late
Tony Randall's
National Actors Theater -- his last stage appearance in New York.
So I'll be interested in seeing whether this new version of Palminteri's old tale can put him back on the map. I'm hoping it does.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Bronx Tale, Chazz Palminteri, Film, First Word On New Show, Grey Gardens, Jerry Zaks, One Man Show, Play, Revival, Robert DeNiro, The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui, Tony Randall
