CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chazz Palminteri said his story really began in his old New York neighborhood in 1961 where he witnessed a murder.
"I grew up at 187th and Belmont in the Bronx. I was 9-years old. It's me Calogero, my real name. It happened to me," he recalls.
Later, as a struggling actor, he started writing about his experiences growing up in that neighborhood.
"I started writing about this killing I saw. Each week, I'd write 10 minutes, 10 minutes and I'd perform it on Monday nights. Finally at the end of about 10 months to a year, I had 90 minutes of a one man show," he said.
In 1989, he performed the show for the first time. One night, actor Robert DeNiro attended the show and his life changed forever.
"A Bronx Tale," already a play, film and now a musical, what's next? Palminteri said the musical may next go back to the big screen.
"This is the first time in the history of show business, nothing went from a play, to a movie, to a musical. I starred in each one of them. I wrote this 30 years ago and here it is. It's still a great story," Palminteri said.
"A Bronx Tale — The Musical” runs at the Nederlander Theatre from March 12-24.
You can listen to the full interview with Chazz Palminteri below.