by Carly Baldwin/The Jersey Journal Thursday July 30, 2009, 8:25 AM

Schulberg, who wrote the screenplay for the 1954 classic starring Marlon Brando, got a standing ovation and signed autographs.

He also gave the New Artists Theatre and the cast that included Vincent Pastore Jr. (Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on "The Sopranos'') high marks.

"I thought they did an excellent job -- I was very pleased with it," Schulberg told Hoboken Now after the performance.

And of Jason Cerbone (Jackie Aprile Jr. of "Sopranos" fame), who played Terry Malloy:

"Well, nobody's ever been as good as Brando," Schulberg chuckled when asked to compare the two. "But I really liked what he did with it very much. A very high-level performance."

Hoboken residents, meanwhile, couldn't help but note that the tale of corruption and moral choices took on a special meaning in light of the massive sting that led to the arrest of Cammarano and 43 others last week.

"There are scenes in the play where you can just change a few names and all of a sudden you're here today, with the accusations against Peter Cammarano," Kurt Gardiner, who also writes a local political blog , said. "You always sensed there was the possibility of corruption in Hoboken and now it seems there's even evidence of the possibility of it.''

Cammarano, who maintains he is innocent of the charges he took cash bribes, has refused to resign, despite angry protests and calls for him to step down from officials including Gov. Jon Corzine, who lives in Hoboken.

Here's a taste of the performance, which was supposed to be held outdoors but was moved inside because of the rain: