'A Bronx Tale': One Man and His Borough

Chazz Palminteri's hands do so much nimble work in "A Bronx Tale," they deserve their own dressing room. In the actor's engrossing, fleet-paced and disarmingly wry solo show, his skedaddling digits and palms help conjure up a 1960s New York neighborhood that's as robust and piquant as a Zagat-endorsed marinara sauce.

Palminteri's relaxed but expressive hands chronicle the agitated dice-shaking in a high-stakes craps game. They mime the gobs of mucus hurtling down on a stoop from a chronic spitter on an upper story. They illustrate the monotonous trundling of a crosstown bus, and jingle the car keys of an awkward teenager on a date. Most important, they mimic the majestic three-fingered salute of Sonny, a Mob boss with a heart made of -- well, maybe a gold alloy.

The eloquent gesturing is just part of Palminteri's arsenal in this 90-minute drama at the Warner Theatre, a work he wrote inspired by memories of his Bronx childhood and adolescence. Produced off-Broadway in 1989, "A Bronx Tale" formed the basis for the 1993 movie co-starring and directed by Robert De Niro. More recently, the stage version landed on Broadway, mounted by powerhouse director Jerry Zaks, again starring the author.

This touring edition of that 2007-08 revival has a pleasingly intimate feel in its Warner incarnation. James Noone's shrewdly understated set -- a lamppost and street sign, the facade of a brownstone, a neon sign gleaming over the exterior of a bar -- evokes a New York streetscape without overshadowing Palminteri, who is the show's real painter of place.

First glimpsed isolated in lamplight, his hair slicked back, his fingers snapping to a doo-wop melody, the gray-suit-clad actor proceeds to map a bygone world of egg creams, Joe DiMaggio adulation and old-time organized crime. In a testament to Palminteri's writerly skill, the wise guys and their 187th Street acquaintances are vivid and deliciously quirky. There's the local oddball who talks out of only one side of his mouth; the bodyguard so rotund that, rumor has it, his shadow once killed a dog; and a would-be-crooner-turned-bar-owner who communicates only by singing.

Prosaic working stiffs live in this gangster stamping ground, too -- in particular, Lorenzo the idealistic bus driver, whose young son Cologio (eventually nicknamed just C.) develops a calflike admiration for Sonny after witnessing a murder.

In tracing C.'s coming-of-age amid these bustling personalities, "A Bronx Tale" coasts deftly through a range of tones -- now full-out comic, now stirring, now wistful, now taut with "Godfather"-like suspense, now ghosted with the solemnity of a morality tale.

Attuned to these changing moods, Palminteri's delivery and physicality bring his characters to life without erring into caricature or eclipsing the narrative's slightly bemused, nostalgic perspective. When he channels the young C., just a hint of childishness in his speech, a slight bend of the knees and an upward-craning face suffice to establish the character's age. Subtle shifts in accent and posture transform him into the intimidating Sonny, crook and mentor, who likes to lock members of his entourage in the bathroom so they don't distract him when he's gambling (Palminteri played this character in the movie).

John Gromada's original music and sound design -- jazz underscorings, doo-wop, urban noises -- add emotional resonance to many scenes, while Paul Gallo's lighting (including a nifty fire effect) keeps pace with the narrative's carefully calibrated intensity. But these touches only accent the Dickensian tapestry that Palminteri unfurls, with word, movement and knowing attitude.

One-man shows are a dime a dozen. A one-man New York borough -- that's an achievement.

A Bronx Tale, written and performed by Chazz Palminteri. Directed by Jerry Zaks; wardrobe provided by Isaia. 90 minutes. Through March 8 at the Warner Theatre, 13th and E streets NW. Visit http://www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com or call 202-397-7328.