Chazz Palminteri to Join the Cast of His Broadway Musical A Bronx Tale

Chazz Palminteri will join the cast of the celebrated musical A Bronx Tale—based on his play and subsequent film—in the role of Sonny beginning May 24. In an unprecedented casting move, this will mark the first time an actor has played the same role in a play, film and stage musical. Original star Nick Cordero will continue in the role of Sonny during Saturday and Sunday performances while taking on a film commitment.

"I'm thrilled to be sharing the role of Sonny with Chazz, who created this remarkable character," said Cordero. "And I am grateful to the team at A Bronx Tale for the flexibility in allowing me to shoot a film over these next months and still remain with my family at A Bronx Tale on the weekends."

Written by Palminteri and based on his life, A Bronx Tale features original music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater. The tuner is co-directed by Robert De Niro (who directed and co-starred in the film) and Jerry Zaks, with choreography by Sergio Trujillo. The show began previews November 3, 2016 and opened on December 1.

A Bronx Tale takes audiences to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he'd love to be. The current cast includes Adam Kaplan as Calogero, Richard H. Blake as Lorenzo, Christiani Pitts as Jane and Lucia Giannetta as Rosina.