Fun on a Friday: A departed friend reminds us about the strength of Show Biz.

By Ken Davenport

We’ll get to the “fun” part of this Friday post in a paragraph or two, but this first bit ain’t so fun.

The world tragically lost the big boss, Mr. James Gandolfini, on Wednesday. And I think we’re all still in shock that our modern day Godfather could go so young.

I worked with Mr. Gandolfini for a moment and a half, when I was on staff at the General Manager’s office of the Broadway adaptation of On The Waterfront in the early 90s. Watching him in a itty-bitty role, I remember thinking, “That guy is good . . . too good . . . why am I watching him more than others, even when he’s not talking.”

And I wanted to work with him again, when I offered him the role of Jessep (the Jack Nicholson character) in A Few Good Men. (He would have crushed it.)

Unfortunately, he won’t ever grace our stages again, which is another tragedy, since this is a guy that while terrific on the tube was a force of nature on the stage.

You’ll be missed, Boss.

So this fun on a Friday is dedicated to James Gandolfini. Watch the clip below, which is a fantastic monologue from The Sopranos (there’s a tip for the actors out there – don’t just look to plays for your monologues – look to TV and movies as well).

And when you watch all the way to the end, you’ll see why this video qualifies for a “F on a F” post – and you’ll pick up a little known mob fact that you can use when looking for investors in your shows as well. Email subscribers, click this link if you can’t see the video. (Oh, and thanks for that VIP industry reader out there who reminded me of this cool clip).