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Scribes often hear they should write what they know, so when lifelong fan Armen Pandola received a 2011 commission from the Walnut Street Theatre to create a work on Dean Martin, he vowed to pen a piece that would convey his familiarity with the legendary entertainer and encourage an analysis of perceptions of all famous figures.
The native of the 2200 block of McKean Street responded with “DINO! An Evening with Dean Martin at the Latin Casino,” his 17th play and another solidifier of his relationship with the nation’s oldest continuously operating theater.
“He was a very private guy living a public life,” the 62-year-old West Passyunk product and present Broomall resident said Monday of the “King of Cool.” “Most people know about his career, but there is a huge backstory to his existence, and I wanted to tell it.”
Pandola situates Martin, a member of the lauded quintet of actors dubbed the “Rat Pack,” including Whitman’s Joey Bishop, in 1978 at the Latin Casino, the since-demolished Cherry Hill dinner theater that originated in Center City, just blocks from the playhouse. Finding himself minus his band due to a blizzard, he enlists a piano player to help him to combine stories and tunes to address his allegiance to his family and word of honor.
“A person’s life is never what the headlines are,” the playwright said of seeing Martin as an easily explained individual. “He was a very complicated guy.”
In tackling such a layered personality, Pandola aimed to infuse his brainchild with that which marks his other pieces, including “Forrest: A Riot of Dreams,” the theater’s 2006 Edwin Forrest Playwriting Award winner, namely, a devotion to engaging patrons.
“That’s the first goal of my writing,” he said of siding with three-time Pulitzer Prize honoree Edward Albee’s quest to have texts change audiences. “The theater world is always evolving, and one thing that is a struggle for modern writers is addressing topics in entertaining ways.”
Pandola has desired to handle compelling matters through Green Light Theatrical Productions, which he and daughter Alexandria founded in ’03 to develop projects centering on women’s societal roles. His contributions, including “Zelda and Scott: Boats Against the Current,” an inaugural year composition that focuses on the intense relationship between Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and which he and his offspring acted in for that year’s Fringe Arts Festival, have won acclaim, as have ’04’s “Terror at the White House,” a Stanley Drama Award finalist, and ’06’s “Devils Also Believe,” a National New Play Network Best New Play contender. His output has helped him to ingratiate himself with numerous spaces throughout Philadelphia, with his current location having hosted a handful of shows.
“I usually arrive at a place of supreme interest when choosing my subjects,” Pandola said of his look at Martin, born Dino Paul Crocetti, which runs through June 30. “This is not meant to be a biography; instead, I’m looking to mesh the public and the private and give homage to someone with intricacies akin to what everyone has. It’s all about engaging people, encouraging them to think.”
The astute storyteller started wielding a pen as a student at Bishop Neumann High School, then 2600 Moore St., now Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St. Newspaper writing and debating helped him to land a scholarship to St. Joseph’s University, where he acted in numerous works, including “The Merchant of Venice” as the scrutinized and scrutinizing Shylock. The stage proved pivotal, as he received a Schubert Fellowship in Playwriting and attended the University of Miami.
“I was a recipient of constant encouragement at Neumann and St. Joe’s,” Pandola, also a graduate of the former St. Edmond School, 23rd and Mifflin streets, said, with his secondary time yielding his first play. “My supporters always helped me to believe in the power of writing a play, which you do alone and hope to celebrate with ticket buyers as an examination of our commonalities.”
Maturing in an era where one’s parents and friends often presumed successful children would become doctors and lawyers, he noted he could not escape beliefs that he would make an excellent attorney. With contemporaries having become legal figures, he applied to Temple University and garnered a scholarship, gaining subsequent employment as a social worker.
“It might sound trite but I enjoy helping people,” Pandola, whose interest in constitutional law led him to make the upholding of civil rights his principal vocation, said. “It’s certainly been interesting, too, to navigate through one world with many rules and engross myself in another one through writing, where I have my own set of guidelines and let the plays speak for themselves.”
Practicing in Center City, he has found many similarities between his fields, including the establishment of trust as a necessity for full immersion in a presentation. He also has enjoyed having a double identity in part because it has made for interesting introductions by his friends.
“Depending on who they are, I’m either a writer or an attorney but rarely both,” he said with a smile.
With “DINO!” earning plaudits, he has slowly begun to ponder his next step, though he confessed that musician and fellow South Philly native Jim Croce appeals to him.
“With great collaborators, anything is possible,” Pandola said. “We will certainly see.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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