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Imperioli's Real-Life Bada-Boom

Fri., Sep. 7, 2007 8:24 AM PDT by Gina Serpe

Did somebody put a hit out on Michael Imperioli's New York theater? And where's Tony Soprano when you really need him?

New York authorities are investigating the detonation of a pipe bomb outside the Sopranos star's nonprofit Chelsea theater in the early-morning hours Tuesday, an explosion that resulted in damage to the building but no injuries.

The New York Police Department said the blast, which took place directly in front of the doors to Imperioli's Studio Dante performing space, was set off at 1:10 a.m. and that fallout was limited to a few blackened and broken tiles on the building's exterior and shattered windows on an unoccupied van parked nearby.

Police found remnants of the four-by-two-inch pipe bomb in the vehicle's front seat and believe it landed in the van after ricocheting off the front of the theater. The device was made of galvanized steel, capped on both ends, and its fuse has been manually lit.

The four-story building, which in addition to the theater also houses residential apartments, was evacuated shortly after the incident. Imperioli was not present at the time of the explosion—he lives in another part of the city—but the Emmy winner was awoken by police with news of the bomb and appeared on site just before 9 a.m. with wife and Studio Dante cofounder Victoria, saying he was "completely baffled."

"This whole day felt like a hallucination," he told the New York Daily News. "It's surreal."

Imperioli left the scene with detectives about 45 minutes later. While the NYPD has already ruled out terrorism in the incident, the department says it has no idea who set off the bomb or why, though according to the New York Post, investigators are already pulling the records of actors and writers who were recently turned away from the progressive-minded theater to determine whether it was the result of a personal vendetta.

Even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spoken out, pledging to get to the bottom of the about the unusual incident.

"While there certainly is no evidence that this was terrorism, we are taking this and every act of violence extremely seriously, and we'll take every step to identify and apprehend whoever set this explosive device up, and anyone who may have seen somebody—something—should call [the NYPD]," Bloomberg said at a news conference.

Studio Dante opened on West 29th Street in 2003 and has been supported by a slew of top-tier actors.

In March 2006, Imperioli's Sopranos costar Edie Falco and Law & Order staple Jesse L. Martin took part in a reading to benefit the theater's studio, while Steve Buscemi, Julianna Margulies, Piper Perabo, Aidan Quinn and Sam Rockwell were among the thesps who participated in an additional fundraiser.

Studio Dante is not currently running any productions; its fall season is scheduled to kick off in October.