The Italians have Al Capone. The Colombians claim Pablo Escobar. America has George W. And Jamaica has Gary Oldman in True Romance. Every nationality, ethnicity, and race has its own charismatic villain. The same goes for the Jews. And though “Bugsy” Siegel might have a bit more name recognition, his boss Meyer Lansky was the Chosen People’s ultimate mobster. Lansky has been depicted in TV, film, and theater mob dramas for decades, but usually as a secondary character. Not anymore. Lansky, an acclaimed off-Broadway hit, is headed where most Jews go when they’re done with New York: Aventura. More specifically, it’s headed to the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Mike Burstyn will portray Lansky during his latter years as he was trying to flee to Israel, with Golda Meir as a precarious ally, while Tricky Dick tried to bring him to justice on this side of the Atlantic. Fittingly, the play is set in Lansky’s Miami Beach home where he spent much the second half of his life and where he died in 1983 at age 80. Lanksy opens at 8 p.m. on Wednesday and runs through Sunday.
Tuesdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Starts: Jan. 19. Continues through Jan. 30, 2011