Chazz Palminteri to star in ‘Unorganized Crime’ in Los Angeles

In 1989, actor Chazz Palminteri debuted his one-man show “A Bronx Tale” at a small theater on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. The modest play would later catch the attention of Robert De Niro, who turned it into a movie, which in turn helped to propel Palminteri’s screen career.

In May, Palminteri is set to debut a new play at another small theater in L.A. “Unorganized Crime,” written by Kenny D’Aquila, will open at the Elephant Theatre in Hollywood’s Theatre Row on May 1 for a three-week run through May 25. Preview performances are scheduled to begin April 26.

“Unorganized Crime,” which will be directed by David Fofi, tells the story of Gino (D’Aquila), a New York mafioso who has been banished to Detroit. Palminteri will play Gino’s brother Sal, a menacing mobster who turns up one day at Gino’s doorstep.

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Last year, Palminteri and others launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $65,000 for the play. But the campaign failed to meet its goal.

A spokesman for the production said that producer Dave Finkelstein, who initially contributed to the campaign, decided to fund the entire L.A. production after the Kickstarter effort fell short.

Finkelstein is listed as an executive producer of the show, and Palminteri and Josh Silver are credited as producers.

Palminteri was nominated for an Academy Award in 1995 for his supporting role in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway.” The actor performed “A Bronx Tale” in New York prior to its becoming a movie. In 2007, he brought the play to Broadway and took it on a national tour.

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