Til Death Do Us Part...You First! at Arts Center Theatre

Peter Fogel’s “Til Death Do Us Part…You First!” Directed by Academy Award-nominee Chazz Palminteri

Directed by Academy Award-nominee Chazz Palminteri, ‘Til Death Do Us Part…You First! is a one man tour-de-force performance about the ups and downs of love and marriage. Combining fast-paced comedy with a grounded sense of pathos, the 90 minute monologue written and performed by Peter Fogel chronicles the comedian’s personal journey to find acceptance.

The journey begins when Fogel receives a greeting card from Palminteri, who agrees to direct the solo show on the condition that Fogel tells a truthful and honest story about his previous relationships. Throughout the evening, Palminteri’s voice wafts on stage, playing the part of the wise therapist, forcing Fogel to revisit his past relationships and confront his flaws. Fogel has the audience roaring with laughter as he relates one bold and wacky anecdote after another, about everyone from his relatives, to his friends, and his ex-lovers.

PETER FOGEL No stranger to comedy, Peter Fogel has worked on numerous projects for stage and screen, including “Comedy Strip Live,” “Comedy on the Road,” “Married With Children,” Unhappily Ever After, Chicago Sons (with Jason Bateman), and Men Behaving Badly (Rob Schneider). Fogel is best known for starring in the national tour of Steve Solomon’s show My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy!

CHAZZ PALMINTERI In the tradition set forth in the 1970s by such icons as director Martin Scorsese and actors Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, John Cazale and Joe Pesci, Bronx-born and raised Chazz Palminteri has brought grit, muscle and an evocative realism to the sidewalks of his New York neighborhood, in film.

After two decades of performing Off Broadway and on television, Palminteri wrote the powerful one-man stage commentary, A Bronx Tale, depicting his bruising childhood in great detail. Palminteri would go on to write the screenplay and act in the film that would mark Robert DeNiro’s directorial debut. Other important projects quickly fell Palminteri’s way. He received a well-deserved Oscar nomination the following year for his portrayal of a Runyonesque hit man in Woody Allen’s hilarious jazz-era comedy Bullets Over Broadway (1994).