Interview: Grace Romanello (MEAN GIRLS) Talks Joanne's 15th Anniversary Show

Joanne, the longstanding Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side owned and operated by Lady Gaga's parents, Joe and Cynthia Germanotta, is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a special celebration on Saturday, October 3 at 6:30 PM. The evening celebrates 15 years of the restaurant Joanne and its evolution from a beloved family gathering place into a growing entertainment venue and emerging artist incubator, with free live performances seven nights a week. Later in the month, on Saturday, October 17 at 6:30 PM, they’ll be hosting a Joanne Album Anniversary listening party, a special evening celebrating 10 years of Joanne. Guests will be invited to raise a glass of Pinot Grigio and revisit the music and spirit of the album together.

We spoke with Joanne’s current resident performer, Grace Romanello (Mean Girls, National Tour), who headlines Broadway and Cabaret nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Grace came through Joanne’s Emerging Artist Program, which gives performers a path from open mic nights to their own dedicated showcases.

Grace Romanello is an actress, singer and dancer based in NYC. She was a swing, dance captain, and understudy for Gretchen and Karen in the first national tour of Mean Girls the Musical. Prior to touring, she performed on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas as Cha Cha in Grease. Now, she is the resident cabaret singer at Lady Gaga’s family’s restaurant, Joanne Trattoria, sings in a band, Theatre Rock Live, and is working on her original music. 

Read our conversation below.

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How did this residency help you grow as an artist? What did you use it for?

I feel really fortunate to have so much artistic freedom in my shows at Joanne. I get to work on new material weekly, which allows me to constantly expand my repertoire and continue to develop my skills as an artist. I learn new music and branch out into new styles, I try different things with my voice, and see how people respond. Joanne is a safe space for me to just try things and see what people are drawn to, which I get to then take into my career in musical theatre. 

Can you tell us a little about some of your inspirations as an artist?

I grew up listening to a lot of Jazz, musical theatre, and pop, which is definitely reflected in my shows. Ella Fitzgerald is, in my opinion, one of the greatest vocalists of all time and I take a lot of inspiration from her work. Ironically, Lady Gaga has also always been a performer that I’ve looked up to; her ability to completely change her sound/style depending on the genre is unbelievable, and I can always use her art to spark creativity.

How does doing your own solo show feel different from performing in something like a scripted musical that someone else wrote?

As a musical theatre performer, I’m used to being given material and doing (almost) the same show nightly. No two shows at Joanne are the same, so I’ve been given the opportunity to essentially learn an entirely new style of performance. There’s a lot of audience interaction at Joanne, which is something I hadn’t done much of prior to my shows there. I’m always feeling out the crowd and adjusting as the show goes on; What songs I sing, what stories I tell, where/how I move, is all dependent on the people watching. 

What have you been filling your time with lately?

I’ve been working on more original music recently. I’ve been writing music since I was about 12, but musical theatre always came first and songwriting took a bit of a backseat. Right now, I’m working on some Jazz-inspired songs that I can hopefully sing at Joanne soon. I also choreograph and manage the social media for a theatre company in Pelham, and am currently choreographing The Prom High School edition.

Do you have any upcoming projects or shows you'd like to tell us about?

We have the 15-year anniversary of the restaurant with a special party on October 3rd and a Joanne listening party on October 17th to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Joanne album, which I’m so excited to be performing at! I have shows every Friday (Broadway Nights) and Saturday (Cabaret) at Joanne. I’m also in a band called Theatre Rock Live; We perform rock songs from musicals, and our next show is October 30th at the Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center in Pennsylvania. There are some exciting things in the works at Joanne that we can’t share just yet, so you’ll have to stay tuned! 

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I’d like to give a special thanks to Joe, Sam, and the whole Joanne team for everything they’ve done for me, and my agent, Morgan, for all of her hard work. For anyone interested in keeping up with what’s going on, check out my Instagram/TikTok @graceromanello. 

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