Andrew Jedlicka runs a talent agency, and several of his clients were actors on HBO’s hit, “The Sopranos.”
“I’ve worked with many of the castmates from the show since 2019,” said Jedlicka recently. “I’ve wanted to do this show, include many of the cast members, give people a chance to interact with the cast.”
The show – “A Night with the Cast of the Sopranos” – comes to Cranston’s Park Theatre on October 24. Jedlicka and his co-producers have presented the show twice on Long Island and are taking it on the road.
It features four actors who had recurring roles on the series: Robert Funaro played Eugene Pontecorvo, a member of the Aprile Crew; Dan Grimaldi played twin brothers Patsy and Philly Parisi, members of Uncle Junior’s Crew; Jason Cerbone played Jackie Aprile Junior, whose dad was the acting boss of the DiMeo Crime Family; and Matt Servitto played FBI Agent Dwight Harris.
“We never really shared a lot of screen time,” said Cerbone. “Bobby, Dan and I all started on the show in the same season, so we did hang out behind the scenes. Throughout the years, we’ve become very close. We’ve bonded more since the show ended. It’s like we went to high school together; we bonded through our common experience.”
For the show’s first act, the four actors will share stories among themselves, with Servitto acting as emcee. “They joke, they laugh, they break each other’s chops in a fun way.”
For the first shows, said Jedlicka, “Matt was our mystery guest.” Each show will feature a fifth actor from the show as a mystery guest.
In the second act, people from the audience can ask questions. “We tell stories that people wouldn’t ordinarily get to hear, behind the scenes stuff,” said Cerbone. “We have a great time bouncing off the audience, having fun with them.”
Cerbone joined the show as Jackie Junior late in its second season. “My character was just being brought in for one, maybe two episodes at the time. In my mind, he was linked to the Aprile Family. Small little scenes, no real storyline.”
Then the show went on hiatus, and the production team went to work creating the third season. “Then I got a call from the casting people. They said they had good news; they were bringing the character back in a big way, but they want you to audition again to be sure you can handle what they can do.”
That caused Cerbone some agita. “It was a stressful process, knowing that I’d already played the role, but could then maybe lose it.”
He managed to get through that. “I knew I’d be in a lot of episodes, but not sure how (my arc) would end.” In his final appearance, Cerbone’s Jackie Junior gets whacked. Sorry if that’s a spoiler – it’s been close to 25 years now.
“I didn’t know that was happening until a couple of weeks before we filmed that episode,” says Cerbone. “It was good I didn’t know. It could have affected my performance up until then.”
Cerbone plans to be with this show’s tour as long as it goes. “We don’t plan on whacking Jason from our show,” said Jedlicka with a laugh. Of course, that’s probably what the producers of “The Sopranos” told Cerbone all those years ago.
Tickets run in the $40 to $50 range, says Jedlicka, with a higher VIP price that allows a buyer to get to the theater earlier, meet the cast members and the mystery guest for a quick chat and photo opportunity, plus get front row seats.
“An Evening with the Cast of The Sopranos: The Show You Can’t Refuse” appears at the Park Theatre in Cranston on October 24. For tickets, visit www.theparkri.com.
