Joe DiPietro News

The Warner Stage Company's Main Stage Musical Season continues tonight, May 3rd at 8 pm with the opening night of All Shook Up.

With rehearsals for the premiere of YOU BET YOUR LIFE! set to start soon, ROLKSA Productions has announced that a fresh young ensemble has been put together to stage and perform the musical at the National Arts Festival later this year. With the clock ticking until the world premiere, pre-production for this witty and rib-tickling new show has commenced with all players excited to be on board.

Walnut Street Theatre's 2013-2014 Independence Studio on 3 season concludes with a musical fit for the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE. Written by Joe DiPietro, with music by Jimmy Roberts, and directed by Christopher Sutton, the production began with previews on April 29th, opens tonight, May 1st and continues through June 29th in the Walnut's Independence Studio on 3. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

Goodspeed Musicals kicks off its 2014 season at the Goodspeed Opera House with the home run hit Damn Yankees. Goodspeed brings a unique New England flavor to its production, setting it in 1955 Boston and pitting the storied Yanks against the beloved Boston Red Sox. This ace musical comedy runs now through June 21 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn.

The Warner Stage Company's Main Stage Musical Season continues this Saturday, May 3rd at 8 pm with the opening night of All Shook Up.

Season tickets for the highly anticipated 2014-2015 Broadway Las Vegas series at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts will be available beginning May 12 through June 13. Tickets for the Broadway Las Vegas eight-show package starts at $285.

Walnut Street Theatre's 2013-2014 Independence Studio on 3 season concludes with a musical fit for the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE. Written by Joe DiPietro, with music by Jimmy Roberts, and directed by Christopher Sutton, the production begins with previews on April 29th, opens May 1st and continues through June 29th in the Walnut's Independence Studio on 3.

The Arvada Center has announced its six-play season, an impressive line-up of plays and musicals that span a range of human experiences including self-discovery, romance, humor, imagination and intrigue. The three musical, three play package is filled with popular titles and includes two regional premieres and an ongoing collaboration with Creede Repertory Theatre. Subscription packages range in price from $99 to $440 and are now on sale to Arvada Center subscribers and the general public. Single tickets for the 2014-2015 theater season go on sale Monday, August 4. Subscribing donors giving at the $150 level or above by June 2 will receive a free guest voucher for each subscription. These vouchers can be used for theater performances in the 2014-15 season. Orders can be made by phone at (720) 898-7200, in person at the Arvada Center box office or online beginning April 28, at https://arvadacenter.org/on-stage/subscribe-or-renew-2014-15.

On the heels of its critically acclaimed world premier new musical ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME by Valerie Vigoda, Brendan Millburn and Tony winner Joe DiPietro and directed by Obie Winner Lisa Peterson, Seattle's Balagan Theatre Company announces its 2014/15 season. Balagan's upcoming season reflects the past, present, and future of the new American musical and continues its mission in bringing exciting cutting edge theatre to a new generation of theatre goers.

Hale Centre Theatre, Utah's Premiere Family Theatre, is celebrating its 30th anniversary year with a stellar 2015 season announced today, bringing big production names and Hale's 13th regional premiere to the theatre in the round.

Critically acclaimed MEMPHIS won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score (David Bryan and Joe DiPietro); four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Music (David Bryan) and four Outer Critic Circle Awards including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Score (David Bryan & Joe DiPietro) and Outstanding Choreography (Sergio Trujillo). Now this multi-award winning production is making a limited stop at Harris Center for the Arts.

It's not based on a book or a movie or (God forbid) a TV show. It isn't the dusted off classics from some forgotten pop icon. What Balagan Theatre has brought us with the world premiere of "Ernest Shackleton Loves Me" is a quirky, fresh and completely original new musical and one of the most exciting things I've seen in musical theater in years. It's the whole package!

Williamstown Theatre Festival has announced exciting casting for their Main Stage productions, along with a several special events for their 2014 Summer Season. On the Main Stage: Festival veterans including Nate Corddry, Holley Fain, Christopher Fitzgerald and Nancy Opel join the cast of June Moon, directed by Jessica Stone (July 2- 13); Justin Long returns to Williamstown, joining Renee Fleming in the World Premiere of Living on Love(July 16 - 26), and theater veterans Judy Kuhn, Howard McGillin, festival favorite Roger Rees, and more join Chita Rivera in the John Doyle-directed production of The Visit, with choreography by Graciela Daniele (July 31 - August 17).

Due to unavoidable circumstances, Nirvanov has been replaced in Balagan Theatre's season. Fortunately, it is being replaced with another exciting show - something Balagan has been working on for over a year and finally get to bring your way. This April, at the Seattle Repertory Theater, Balagan presents, in association with ACT Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theater, the world premiere of Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, an off-Broadway bound new musical starring Valerie Vigoda (GrooveLily, Striking 12) and Wade McCollum (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Jersey Boys).

La Jolla Playhouse announces the cast and creative team for its Page To Stage workshop production of Chasing the Song, a jubilant new musical by the team behind the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis, featuring book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, music and lyrics by David Bryan and directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. Kicking off the Playhouse's 2014/15 season, Chasing the Song runs May 13 - June 15 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. Tickets are available by calling the Patron Services Department at (858) 550-1010 or online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org.

It's 1955, and into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing roustabout, Chad (Ian Diedrich), who changes everything and everyone he meets in this hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical fantasy that'll have you jumpin' out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as 'Heartbreak Hotel,' 'Jailhouse Rock,' and 'Don't Be Cruel.' Inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley and based off of the book by Joe DiPietro.

When it comes to gleeful theatrical candy, it doesn't get much better than Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts' I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE. This audience favorite holds the title of the second-longest running Off-Broadway musical. The current production by MJR Theatricals | Music Box Musicals delivers everything audiences are looking for and more with this delightful romantic revue.

Balagan Theatre is bringing one of the oddest topics for a musical to the Seattle Rep with the world premiere of "Ernest Shackleton Loves Me". From anyone else this might seem like a stretch but from the minds of Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn, who brought us the likes of Striking 12 and Sleeping Beauty Wakes, along with book writer Joe DiPietro, a story about a single mother/musician who begins a Skype conversation with Ernest Shackleton as he journeys across the Antarctic is just a jumping off point for something magical. I recently sat down with co-author and one of the leads of the show Valerie Vigoda along with fellow cast mate Wade McCollum to discuss this odd pairing.

Family, faith, and food' are 'the three F's' governing Joe DiPietro's heartwarming comedy Over The River and Through The Woods, which will run from today, April 4th through May 11th at the Broward Stage Door Theatre. The play, which takes place in Hoboken, New Jersey focuses on the relationship between young up-and-coming marketing executive Nick Cristano, and his four loving and very involved grandparents. When Nick is offered a career advancing opportunity across the country, he is faced with making some tough and life-altering decisions.

Musical Theatre West presents the third production of their 61st season, the West Coast Premiere of S'WONDERFUL: The New Gershwin Musical, created and directed by Ray Roderick, musicaldirection by Bret Simmons with choreography by Charlie Williams. S'WONDERFUL will preview today, April 4, open on Saturday, April 5 and perform for three weeks only through Sunday, April 20 at The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, located at 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach on the campus of California State University, Long Beach.