In November, hundreds of fans flocked to Bellmore Movies and the Showplace to spend an evening with four actors from the primetime drama “The Sopranos,” who shared details about the show. Locals who missed the opportunity will get a second chance to catch up on all things “Sopranos” on April 18, at 10 p.m.
“A Night with the Sopranos” featured actors Jason Cerbone, Robert Funaro, Dan Grimaldi and Matthew Servitto, and the group offered their perspectives on the show’s story, its cultural impact, and its themes and purpose.
These events are made possible by Merrick resident Andrew Jedlicka, the founder of the Andrew Frank Group, a consulting firm that manages several cast members, in collaboration with JD Sarantakos, of JD’s Productions, who works with the theatre to bring in special events from famous entertainers.
“The reception from the cast members has been great,” Jedlicka said. “We’ve had such great reception from the community. That’s why we wanted to bring it back to Bellmore… [and for] folks that came to the first Bellmore event, they should come to this one, because now they’re going to meet a new cast member that they didn’t at the first one.”
Last year’s event was the first of many, he said.
“We will be taking the show on tour,” he said. “We will be in Rhode Island in October. We’ll be in California in January of next year. We’re consistently booking more theaters across the country, so we’re really excited about it. Plus, the nice thing about this is that every show we do is that there’s going to be a new mystery guest.”
“The Sopranos” made a huge impact on television culture, first with its run on HBO from 1999, and then when it came to streaming service HBO Max in 2020, during the pandemic.
“It became more and more popular,” Funaro explained in prior conversations with the Herald, adding of the show’s fans, “It’s a great feeling — not so much the recognition, but they really like the show, and they like your work, and they appreciate us, and we appreciate them, too.”
During last year’s show, the actors shared stories about the collaborative — sometimes comedic — atmosphere on the set. Servitto described working with the show’s star, the late James Gandolfini. Servitto wasn’t a veteran actor, but Gandolfini nonetheless made sure that his input would be accounted for. To this day, Servitto still wears a watch Gandolfini gave him to celebrate the show’s finale. Gandolfini died in 2013.
“He was just the most giving actor on the set, and he was a great leader,” Grimaldi added. “He never turned up at 6 in the morning half hung over, and he would never turn down a picture or an autograph. He was just a wonderful, wonderful person to work opposite.”
Sarantakos has been a fierce supporter of Bellmore Movies and the Showplace, facilitating special events for community members over the past eight months.
“It’s a unique, special event that nobody’s going to forget — it’s that type of show,” he said. “We’re doing it on Long Island because I grew up on Long Island, Andrew grew up on Long Island, and it is just a great venue: the oldest movie theater on Long Island. To bring it there, to have the show rebound and to do it again is an honor.”
For those looking for an event for this weekend, music legend and radio host Tony Orlando will visit the theater to greet fans on Saturday, at 7 p.m.
“Tony Orlando is an icon,” Sarantakos said. “He had five number one hits and sold millions of records. He’s raised a half a billion dollars for veterans worldwide. His career has been over 60 years.”
Sarantakos said he hopes to plan even more and larger events in Bellmore in the future.
“Long Island … it’s got so much talent, so much different talent that’s not really being represented,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to provide and do here at the Bellmore Movies and the Showplace, which seats about 325 people, and bring that entertainment here locally and support the community so that they don’t have to travel all these miles.”
To learn more about similar projects and events, visit @andrewfrankgroup on Facebook and Instagram.
