‘Bullets Over Broadway’

The life of the theater has lots of life in Woody Allen’s 1994 hit. Set in the Prohibition ‘20s, it’s a theatrical satire crossed with a gangster satire, and the joke is in how close the two realms really are. The onstage prima donnas and posturers and leches are as conniving and strong-arming as gangsters--they just use barbs instead of bullets. This collision of worlds comes about when the only backer for the Broadway production of a work by promising young playwright David Shayne (John Cusack, pictured) is mobster Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli). The condition for the backing is that Nick’s flouncy, aggressively untalented showgirl mistress, Olive (Jennifer Tilly), must be given a starring role. Pure joy follows, especially with the entrance of Dianne Wiest’s (pictured) deliciously over-the-top yet self-knowing grande dame and Chazz Palminteri as Olive’s bodyguard--who proves to be a natural play doctor! (KTLA early Tuesday at 3 a.m.)