“Bad” Brad Berkwitt Joins the Cast of The Wiseguy Kitchen “Dinner With The Mob” – Breaking Entertainment News
By Geno McGahee
Photos of “Bad” Brad, Joe Henson, NYC
The acting career of “Bad” Brad Berkwitt has taken off in just a short period of time, landing roles in shows like VEEP along with some programming on the ID Network. Berkwitt now joins the hit show: “The Wiseguy Kitchen ‘Dinner with the Mob’”, playing “Tony Knuckles,” a former boxer/Mafioso character that makes up part of Vinny’s crew.
Berkwitt said that “joining the cast of The Wiseguy Kitchen “Dinner With The Mob” is a honor. To be working with a veteran actor like Vincent Fiore, and award-winning actress, Connie Lamothe, is truly a thrill. The dress rehearsals were a great deal of fun and I think the crowd is in for a great show.”
The Wiseguy Kitchen “Dinner With The Mob” will be showing at the Iris Lounge 1524 Spring Hill Road McLean, VA 22102 (703) 760-9000 on the following dates:
May 20
June 3
July 1
Doors open at 6 PM, Dinner served at 7:00, Cooking Show at 7:30
The tickets are $25 per person and include a four course Italian dinner and the show!
For tickets, please visit: www.thewiseguykitchen.com/index.html
SHOW SYNOPSIS
The Wiseguy Kitchen “Dinner with the Mob” follows the shenanigans behind the scenes and in front of the camera as a new cooking program films for the first time in front of a live audience. Except the reality star of this TV show, Vincenzo ‘Vinny’ Palazzo, aka The Wiseguy Chef, is a former mob boss trying to go legit. Vinny has traded in his old turn for surf & turf, but hasn’t quite been able to leave his old life behind. That’s because he remains surrounded by his former crew, who are employed to help run the show… and they aren’t as committed as Vinny when it comes to going straight. While Vinny tires to teach his patrons about the meal he is preparing, his gang causes all kinds of trouble – running numbers, selling stolen merchandise, and dividing the restaurant into territories for their “protection”. At least Vinny has his rock with him, Sophia, the street-tough love of his life. Except that Vinny likes the ladies and Sophia’s not happy about that and that’s why she likes her red wine so much! Vinny’s a good guy and he’d be better off letting go of everyone from his old life. But what’s he gonna do? They’re family.
CHARACTERS
Vincent Fiore as Chef Vincenzo Palazzo
Star of the Wiseguy Kitchen, a new culinary show filmed before a live audience. Unlike other reality TV chefs, he’s a former mob boss trying to go legit. Vinny always loved to cook and served the best buffet in the city at his gentleman’s club “Leave It To Beavers”, where he also ran his other business – the ‘family’ business. Vinny struggles to keep the wiseguy in him in check, learning yoga and breathing exercises that he hasn’t quite fully mastered. He’s an incredibly loyal guy which is why he remains surrounded by his former crew, who are employed to help run his show. Their incompetence and inability to stop racketeering constantly threaten to “pull him back in”.
Connie Lamothe as Sophia Palazzo
Vinny’s street tough and hot-headed wife. He knew she was the woman for him when Sophia once talked back to her future mother-in-law . . . in public! She’s sarcastic, rabidly jealous of any woman who even looks at her husband, and Vinny’s biggest supporter! There is real love there, even after two decades of marriage. She’s the one who convinced him to give up the mob life, for the sake of their children. She’s used to living the pampered life, so there is nothing she won’t do to see Vinny succeed, even if that means bending the rules and a few arms. There are three things she loves in this world: her family, red wine and did we say red wine!
David DiLorenzo as Frankie the Pig
Currently employed by Vinny as the show’s MC, he’s another one of Vinny’s former crew. They nicknamed him “the pig” because he snorts when he laughs, but also because EVERYONE knows he’s really an undercover cop who’s been trying to get Vinny for year and doesn’t believe that he’s gone legit. They keep him around because he makes them laugh, unintentionally. Frankie is terrible at working undercover, and constantly gives off clues that he’s a cop. When he hugs people, he semi-frisks them. He loves donuts and wears those aviator sunglasses. He asks very leading questions and tries to get people to talk closer to him, because he’s wearing a wire on his collar!
Robert Christie as Uncle Carmine
The last surviving member of Vinny’s real family. Carmine is a mob lifer with no interest in changing his ways! Vinny can go legit, but he has his own idea of how to earn a living! Including selling “hot” merchandise to the audience, running numbers, offering them protection from the other tables, etc. Carmine refuses to act his age, always trying to be contemporary, but getting it wrong. The cameraman is a good friend of Carmine’s, which is where he learns all the new young stuff because they go clubbing together!
“Bad” Brad Berkwitt as Tony Knuckles
This guy is a former boxer who was muscle for Vinny’s crew. Tony took one too many punches to the noggin – which he thinks is that stuff you drink at Christmas (and it’s totally gross). He does exactly what he’s told to do, which often leads him to misunderstand his orders. He’s self-conscious about his mental mistakes and carries a ‘thumbasaurus” with him at all times. Of course, spelling is not a strong suit either, so it doesn’t help much. He’s a big fan of the movies, especially romantic comedies (rom com’s).
Hez Surmaty as Joey Pictures
Carmine got him the job as a favor for keeping him young — they go clubbing together. The problem for vinny – the only thing Joey knows about camera’s is that they’re used to get naked pictures on the internet. Joey is a ladies’ man, and it doesn’t matter what they look like or their age. he’s a charming horn dog who just wants to get laid, but he’s sweet about it. (Think more Joey from Friends that the cast from Jersy Shore.) He’s always trying to get audience members to hold his camera while he hits on their dates. Things you’ll her him saying: “how you doin’?” “You can look me up on Linked In under ‘Love Doctor.'”.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Vincent Fiore:
Vincent Fiore is an Italian American Actor/Chef with past credits in film and televsion stars in The WiseGuy Kitchen TV Show and in The Wiseguy Kitchen’s “Dinner With The Mob”, a dinner theatre style show and a former owner of several NY restaurants. A lover of homemade italian food, Vince was well known in his “neighborhood” for his delicious pastas and sauces and has found his perfect role as The Wiseguy Chef and Vinny Palazzio. Keeping himself busy, Vincent’s newest roles, have him playing Tony in the new web TV series “The Crew”, Tony Carlucci in the feature film “The Italians” and an upcoming role in “The Driver’ produced by CCLProductions. Vincent is a proud member of the Guild of Italian American Actors.
Connie Lamothe:
Connie Lamothe, Director and Producer of The Wiseguy Kitchen’s “Dinner with the Mob”, is an award-winning film actress, director and producer. She has won multiple awards in directing and acting in Washington, DC and New York. She earned quite a well-known reputation as the lead, “Viola” in Dilstar Production’s long running (2000 – 2006) Washington DC Tour of “Joey & Maria’s Comedy Italian Wedding” which she also directed from (2003 – 2006). Over the years Connie has modeled professionally, was a semi-finalist in the Ms. Virginia Pageant, and was the Artistic Director of Growing Stage Theatre (2006 – 2010). Lamothe has multiple film and television credits and has been fortunate to work with Jodie Foster, Kevin Spacey, Matthew McConnaghey, Alan Rickman, Mos Def, Kyra Sedgwick and many others. This Spring 2013, Connie won a Best Actress award for her role of “Tallulah” in Your Last Six Inches, a comedy written by Wayde Byard and directed by Joe Durbin, at the Hot Media Independent Film Festival and additionally her film Charity, written by Michael Brennan and directed and produced by Lamothe won Best Drama. Connie is currently producing the new feature film “The Driver” (2014) and just wrapped on Day of the Gun, written and directed by Wayne Shipley, starring Eric Roberts, where she played the featured role of Georgia Lamb, the Singletree Saloon owner.
David DiLorenzo:
David Delorenzo began his career working with many successful, nationally known comedians in the early 1980’s. During his career he has performed with Denis Leary, Steven Wright, Rodney Dangerfield, Damon Wayans, Pat Cooper, Harland Williams, Dom Irrera, Bobby Collins, Anthony Clark, Joe Rogan, Joe Piscopo, Paul D’Angelo, Kevin Meaney and Lenny Clarke and many other legendary comedians.
Robert Christie:
Robert is always kidding about how long he’s been in theater….”all the way back to do the days when the Flintstones powered their cars with their bare feet!”. And that’s also a sign of his crazy humor. He’s performed in over 100 theater productions & says he just can’t live without live theater. He happens to be a very capable film director. His film, “The Sobbing Stone”, was nominated Best Feature Drama at the Sabaoth International Film Festival in 2006, in Milan, Italy. The movie has been on sale (or on PPV and OnDemand) in over 30 websites, including Netflix, Barnes & Noble, Blockbuster and Amazon. It’s also aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) hundreds of times, as far away as Japan & the U.K. His most current film, “As Thick As The Waters”, has already had several nominations in International film festivals, and it hasn’t even been released yet. His upcoming projects (as director), are “Sons of Thunder”, about A.D. King, the brother of Martin Luther King, Jr., “1812”, the story of the War of 1812, and “Johnny Unitas”, the story of the Hall of Fame NFL quarterback.
“Bad” Brad Berkwitt:
“Bad” Brad Berkwitt has acting in his blood. His late Father, Alvin Berkwitt, studied with Lee Strasberg. After a successful twenty year career in the US Navy, and retiring in 2006, “Bad” Brad went into the Government contracting world, but could not fight the urge to follow in his father’s footsteps and act. In 2013, Berkwitt became a fulltime actor with lots of acting gigs right out the gate to include several shows on the ID Channel, Veep and House of Cards. “Bad” Brad is also a former amateur boxer and the CEO of Ringside Report.com “The Heart of Boxing.” His love of boxing combined with his acting, Improv skills and deep knowledge of Mafia films is something that he brings to the stage and screen and helps him bring his Mob character “Tony Knuckles” to life. It is a role that Berkwitt is very excited about playing.
Hez Surmaty:
A recent graduate from George Mason University, Hez Surmaty studied acting in film and theater. He performed as Stephano “The Butcher” Gatti in the play “Passaggio.” He has played many diverse characters in film productions and is excited to be a part of Dinner with the Mob.
Find out more about “Bad” Brad Berkwitt’s acting career by CLICKING HERE