A father becomes worried when a local gangster befriends his son in the Bronx in the 1960s.
Beaumont Street in the 1960s Bronx is the setting of a lifelong saga whereas a young nine-year-old boy named Calogero (Frankie Leoni) witnesses a murder by gang members and spends his entire life being an accomplice and a mentee to gang leader Sonny (Joe Barbara), after refusing to identify the shooter with the weapon. In return, Sonny develops an unhealthy attraction to him and introduces him to “Chez Biggy,” which includes a life of fast money, illegal gambling and street protection for the remainder of his life. In the midst of Calogero trying to erase what he saw in order to justify his meager existence, he faces repeated turmoil with his mother and father inside the family home because the street life he has become accustomed to teaches him to devalue his father’s position and his family values.
As Calogero (Joey Barreiro) grows older, he falls head over heels for a young lady, Jane (Brianna-Marie Bell), from the opposite side of the tracks and both her friends and his friends try to keep them apart due to racist views. The entire neighborhood becomes polarized and in the end, Sonny is the only one who can convince him to follow his heart. When Calogero and finally come together, they find that they are more alike than different and she convinces him that he has worth and should strive to be something greater and do more with his life. When Sonny finds out that Calogero has gotten in with the wrong crowd, he demands that he stay away from them and he ends up saving Calogero’s life as a result. He too, tells Calogero that the street life he made for himself is not the life he should continue to live because it isn’t in his best interest. In the end, Sonny’s corrupt life comes back to haunt him and he can’t save himself. With the loss of Sonny, Calogero’s life has come full circle and he realizes he has yet another chance to start in a new direction with his first move being to reconcile with his parents.
As the story develops, the audience can appreciate the full and lengthy coming of age predicaments through the eyes of Calogero. The combination of humor and sadness permeates the lessons that are brought to fruition of the gang life versus the well-structured home life which gives depth and meaning to each end of the spectrum. The vocals that are mixed in with the Doo Wop Guys (Sean Bell, Joshua Michael Burrage, Giovanni DiGabriele, and Joseph Sammour) are entertaining and help to capture the mood of the times represented throughout Calogero’s simple, yet problematic lifespan. The entire musical is highly entertaining and very resourceful in capturing the neighborhood and the mentality of its dwellers. While there is strong language, directors Robert De Niro and Jerry Zaks have done a fine job of re-inventing Chazz Palminteri’s semi-autobiographical story and giving viewers of all ages something they can relate to within the village mentality.
Now performing at the Winspear Opera House Dec. 26th thru Jan. 6th
