Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008 | 2 a.m.
Despite a strike by stagehands that shut down Broadway shows for 19 days in November, a Las Vegas company’s foray onto Broadway made money.
“A Bronx Tale” ended its four-month run Sunday and is now ready to go on the road, says Trent Othick, president of GO Productions. Othick hopes to bring the show to Las Vegas.
“Las Vegas is definitely in our plans,” Othick says. “We are scheduled to start the tour in Los Angeles in September, but there is a good chance we will be heading to London or Ireland this summer before then. We have a couple of offers to take the show to London and one in Dublin.”
The one-man show was written by and stars actor Chazz Palminteri, who first brought the production to the stage in the ’80s. He plays 18 roles in the semiautobiographical story, which was made into a movie featuring Palminteri and Robert De Niro in 1993.
Othick says Palminteri will star on the tour, which will include two-week stops in major cities such as Chicago, Boston and Denver, in addition to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
“If we did well here (in Vegas), Chazz would be willing to extend our stay in Vegas or come back, depending on the rest of the tour,” Othick says. “Broadway has not done well in Vegas, but both Chazz and I think ‘A Bronx Tale’ has an audience here for a number of reasons, just like we thought it would work on Broadway. And we had many people that thought we were wrong about that.”
Othick says the show is unique.
“It’s almost like a hybrid of a stand-up act mixed with a great dramatic movie, almost like you are watching a movie unfold live,” he says. “It’s also only 90 to 95 minutes long, so the show does not have to be butchered for a casino.
“The first half of the show you are laughing out loud and the second half even the toughest of men tear up.”
Despite the bitter strike, Othick has not lost his taste for play production.
“The strike was very painful, as we were watching something great go to waste as we had just opened, as it cost us huge momentum,” he said. “But we ended up making a great comeback in the short amount of time allowed. Overall it was a great experience.”
Around town
And the winner of the 13th annual Las Vegas Oscar Night celebration is ... the Arthritis Foundation of Southern Nevada. More than $150,000 was raised at the Oscar fundraiser at Planet Hollywood on Sunday night. Almost 600 fans attended the star-studded affair, but the stars were local — ventriloquist Terry Fator, female impersonator Frank Marino, comedian Bobby Slayton, entertainers the Scintas, Early Clover and Earl Turner, and stars Anthony Crivello of “Phantom,” Victor Wallace of “Mamma Mia!” and Kevin Burke of “Defending the Caveman” ... Steve Dixon, leader of the namesake Mason Dixon Band, headlines a fundraiser for the Center for Homeless and Neglected Young Adults on March 7 at Turnberry Place. It’s a CD release party for Dixon, who has worked with performers such as Willie Nelson, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. He’ll donate a portion of the proceeds from the CD to the nonprofit center. There will also be a silent auction (6 to 9 p.m. March 7; Turnberry Place, 2827 Paradise Road; admission is free, but RSVPs are required. Call Diamond Star at 248-3568 or e-mail [email protected]). ... A Las Vegas-based company, Rock ’n Roll Wine, is combining wine tasting with rock music, true to its name. “Rock ’n Roll Wine AMPLIFIED!” opens its 2008 series with Pat Monahan, the Grammy-winning front man for Train, and 50 wines from 20 wineries (7 p.m. Friday; MGM Grand’s Studio 54; $45; 240-3066, rocknrollwine.com).
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