He has given memorable performances on the big screen – in such movies as “Goodfellas” and “Reds” – and on the small screen, in the original “Law & Order.” But this week and next veteran actor Paul Sorvino will take the stage at the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre and share another theatrical talent many may not have known he has: the tenor and trained vocalist is going to sing.
While Sorvino is best-known for playing the mobster or tough guy, he was actually raised in a tight-knit Italian family where music, particularly opera music, was both sung and played often.
“My mother was a piano teacher and there was always music in the house,” said Sorvino. “I had two uncles, Uncle Carlo and Uncle Vincent, who were great singers from Naples, a baritone and tenor. I always had the idea I wanted to be on the stage. I didn’t know the difference between an actor and a singer. I was attuned to beautiful voices,”
Sorvino was raised in a tight-knit Italian family where music, particularly opera music, was both sung and played often.
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“If it’s the sound of the voice you’re looking for, it’s not going to be rock ‘n roll, it will be opera,” he insisted. “Today, we’re not in a good time for opera singers. Domingo is the most admirable and he’s done so much, a great musician. I like Angela Gheorghiu. She’s my favorite singer right now.”
Although Sorvino has not sung in any of his films, he has had a few opportunities to display his vocal skills in a few of his live theatrical performances.
Health problems, including asthma and acid reflux, have hindered his ability to sing live in recent years, he said. But with his symptoms now under control he said he felt the time was right to return to his musical roots.
“Paul Sorvino Sings,” the series of live performances he is currently giving at limited venues across the country, are eclectic shows that display his vocal range.
“The shows will include some selections from a couple of operas,” said Sorvino’s nephew, Bill Sorvino, who is producing the Loew’s concerts. “But they will also include American standards and Neapolitan standards.”
The younger Sorvino also said his uncle’s show incorporates interesting stories from the actor’s life, both onscreen and off.
“My uncle is very funny and has a great sense of humor. He’s also a great storyteller, which audiences will get a chance to experience through the concerts as well.”
‘You gotta see this theater!’
Bill Sorvino, a Jersey City native, said the idea for the Loew’s concerts came to him when he was producing the recent Golden Door International Film Festival in that city. One of the venues for the film festival was the Loew’s and when he saw how it had been renovated and restored, “I said to my uncle, ‘You gotta see this theater! It’s amazing!’ The way it’s designed is perfect for live concerts. He was already planning a couple shows in California, and I thought it would be really special to have him perform in New Jersey, in this venue.”
The elder Sorvino, who also writes music and sculpts in his spare time, said mature audiences will be reminded of their youth, but encouraged them to bring younger members of the family to the shows, too, if possible.
“There’s a style of concert, of theatrical experiences, that’s almost dying out, not because it couldn’t be marketable or popular,” he said, “but because younger audiences simply haven’t been exposed to it. Many younger people haven’t been exposed to getting dressed up, going to a live nightclub act or cabaret-style show. It would be very sad for us to lose that. I would hate to think that kids today aren’t getting that deep appreciation for this kind of music in their formative years, like I did.”
Paul Sorvino will give two concerts on Thursday, Oct. 27 and Friday, Nov. 4 at the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theater, at 54 Journal Square.
Ticket prices range from $35 to $125, and discounts are available for students and seniors, with ID. Tickets can be purchased at the box office.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.