A BRONX TALE Starring Chazz Palminteri Comes To Ford Center

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to present A BRONX TALE, written by and starring Academy Award®-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri. 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.

A BRONX TALE is produced by GO Productions. Set design is by James Noone, lighting design is by Paul Gallo, and original music and sound design is by John Gromada. Mr. Palminteri's wardrobe is supplied by Italian menswear designer ISAIA.

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.

Chazz Palminteri's tour de force performance on Broadway last season was heralded by critics and audiences. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called it "a rejuvenating act of faith in the powers of acting and storytelling."

The Associated Press described A BRONX TALE as "enormously entertaining. A vibrant, warmhearted saga, Palminteri conjures up a parade of appealing characters with humor, great affection and more than a little heartbreak."

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.

Jerry Zaks is a four time Tony® Award winner and has directed over 30 New York productions. Most recently, he directed Encores!' acclaimed Stairway to Paradise. Other credits include, Broadway: The House of Blue Leaves (Tony Award), The Front Page, Anything Goes (Tony nomination), Lend Me a Tenor (Tony Award), Six Degrees of Separation (Tony Award), Guys and Dolls (Tony Award), Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Smokey Joe's Cafe (Tony nomination, Olivier nomination), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Tony nomination), The Man Who Came to Dinner, 45 Seconds From Broadway, Little Shop of Horrors, La Cage aux Folles (Tony Award, Best Revival), The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial; Off-Broadway: Sister Mary Ignatius, Beyond Therapy, Baby With the Bathwater, The Foreigner (Obie Award), The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Obie Award), Wenceslas Square, Assassins, A Bad Friend. Film: Marvin's Room. TV: "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Frasier." He is a graduate of Dartmouth with an MFA from Smith and since 1990 has been proudly affiliated with Jujamcyn Theaters.

GO Productions is an independently financed film, television and theatre company formed in early 2007 in Las Vegas by casino operator John Gaughan, film industry executive Trent Othick and Las Vegas businessman Matt Othick. GO recently wrapped production of the independent feature film Yonkers Joe directed by Sundance veteran Robert Celestino, starring Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri, Academy Award winner Christine Lahti, Academy Award nominee Michael Lerner, Golden Globe nominee Linus Roache and Tom Guiry, as well as Michael Rispoli, Frank John Hughes, Roma Maffia and Arthur Nascarella. A Bronx Tale marked GO Productions' Broadway producing debut.

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 all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St. and 18 W. Monroe St.); the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400; all Ticketmaster retail locations (including Hot Tix, select Carson Pirie Scott, Coconuts and fye stores); and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Tickets are available to groups of 20 or more by calling (312) 977-1710.

For more information visit www.ABronxTaleTour.com or www.BroadwayInChicago.com