A Conversation with Nick Cordero
Your character has a lot of layers. He trusts no one but he seems to love C (a.k.a Calogero). He’s not a father but takes C under his wing. He is feared and violent, yet we see a gentle side of him, too. How did you go about portraying both his tough and gentle side?
That dichotomy is what’s really interesting about the role. I like to show people a side of him that’s unexpected. I like to portray him as a little more complicated than one might expect. I think he’s a guy that’s at a period in his life that sees C as a chance for redemption. He’s not as young as he used to be, and looking back with some wisdom, he’s made some choices he wouldn’t make again; so you’re seeing him grapple with that when we meet him in the show. He’s the personification of the light and dark that is in everybody, just a little more intense in him. He’s acquainted with the full spectrum of life; he’s able to have great sensitivity in a weird way, because he can go into the dark a little bit. He’s got a pretty wide margin when it come to life. What he’s teaching C is that you can go to the dark side but it comes at a cost.
Singing anything by Alan Menken is a dream but you sing “One of the Great Ones” which also shows Sonny’s gentle side. How did you go about your performance for that song?
Looking
back, it’s what hooked me into the show. When I was approached about it in 2014, I just finished playing Chazz Palminteri as a gangster in a musical, so I was a little weary. And then I heard that song. It was an opportunity to show a playful, romantic side of this guy, to share a tender, fatherly moment between him and this kid. I instantly recognized the song as one of the classics. I wonder if, in decades to come, it might become that. The message is beautiful, the lyrics support the message perfectly and simply, and the melody just sails.
How do you think Sonny’s wardrobe brings the character to life?
Well, I think the clothes are a big part of why people think I’m older than I am. He also doesn’t have to do a lot because so much is said about him. He has a soft power in that way. The shark skin suits and the colors are perfect. William Ivey Long has done a great job telling these people’s stories through clothes that’s very authentic. He also had an unlikely collaborator in Robert De Niro who’s a stickler for detail. I have shirts that the material is from 60s, with patterns that don’t exist anymore. The devil is in the details. Cumulatively, it’s really done a good job to help make our show authentic. The people who come see the show are who the show’s about, in a large part. We wanted to make it feel and look like home.
Is the audience comprised of locals or tourists, a good mix of everyone?
A good mix of everyone. A lot of fans of the film, but a lot of people from New York and the surrounding areas who grew up with the story, and it’s a big connect to it. A lot of people [come to the stage door and say] “I proposed after the door test.” This film has become a cultural landmark.
Has playing Sonny helped you learn anything about yourself?
Like I said, he’s in the process of wishing that he had made some other decisions in his life. I feel like I can relate to his time of life. I may be 10 years younger than he’s supposed to be, but I think the reason that I connect to this character is that there’s a little bit of him in me. His journey has been my journey, in a way.
As you’ve now done a couple hundred performances, how have you tweaked your character?
I think so, probably. If you do a role for a while, it naturally evolves. The reason I love it is because this character allows me to bring the temperature of how I’m feeling to that day. It’s not evolving on an arch, but I can bring my temperature.
What has been your favorite part about the “Bronx Tale” experience?
It’s all been pretty great. Two things that stand out broadly, developing it even before we got to Broadway. Then to see it find an audience, which is not guaranteed as you know, and to have that audience to be showing up has been great. It’s great to have a year on Broadway.
