Joe DiPietro News

There is a meme making the rounds on Facebook at the moment. Above an image of the cast of the television series, FRIENDS, a caption reads: 'This documentary of White Privilege is kinda long and hard to watch, but DAMN. Really lays it all out there.' This revival of I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE offers the musical theatre equivalent of that perception.

Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Simpkins and Managing Director Justin Ball, proudly presents the Off Broadway musical hit, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, with performances August 4 - 14 at Sharon Playhouse Stage 2 (Bok Gallery - 49 Amenia Road). Opening night is August 4 at 7pm.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's 47th season will feature American Premiere of the surprise London hit, THE LIFE OF THE PARTY, running August 24 - September 18, starring Tony Award-nominated composer Andrew Lippa.

"The Last Romance," written by Joe DiPietro and directed by Christy Montour-Larson, is the ninth annual summer theater fundraiser for Senior Housing Options (SHO), a non-profit organization providing quality affordable housing and services for 500 adults in Colorado.  The production is SHO's major -- and only -- annual fundraiser and builds on the success of past runs such as "The Odd Couple (Female Version)" (2015), "On Golden Pond" (2014), "Steel Magnolias" (2013), and "Driving Miss Daisy" (2012).

Now Cabrillo Music Theatre brings this amazing story to life with THE LITTLE MERMAID, live on stage! This is not simply a children's show - it's a brand-new fully-developed Broadway musical, in the spirit of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LION KING, and MARY POPPINS, and Cabrillo Music Theatre's production will be the first in the region!

Subscribers, donors, supporters and celebrities attended the standing room only Opening Night Gala of the Laguna Playhouse's first show of its 2016-2017 Season, ALL SHOOK UP. This perfect family summertime, fun-time musical features a book by Joe DiPietro, musical direction by Jeff Biering, choreography by Paula Hammons Sloan and is directed by Steve Steiner. ALL SHOOK UP presents the fabulous music of Elvis Presley, along a story inspired by William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Scroll down for photos from the opening festivities!

Are you ready to ROCK, Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh CLO is proud to announce casting for the Pittsburgh premiere of THE TOXIC AVENGER, September 22 - December 18 at the CLO Cabaret. This cult film-turned musical smash is a toxic love story with an environmental twist you won't want to miss! Featuring a rock score with instant hits such as: "Who Will Save New Jersey," "Thank God She's Blind," "My Big French Boyfriend" and "Evil is Hot," THE TOXIC AVENGER is sure to satisfy musical theater and movie lovers from the 'Burgh and beyond.

Cape Rep Theatre presents Summer Starlight, an evening to remember with guest of honor, Tony Award winning theatre, film and television actress, Harriet Sansom Harris. Tickets for this gala celebration benefiting Cape Rep Theatre include an outdoor party with hors d'oeuvres and live jazz, a performance and audience discussion with Ms. Harris in the Indoor Theater emceed by Jared Bowen, host of WGBH's Open Studio, and a champagne and dessert finale with Harriet Sansom Harris under the stars.  Ticket prices are $100 and $90 for Members and are available at CapeRep.org or at the Box Office, 508-896-1888.

Hartshorn - Hook Productions is thrilled to announce the reunion of last year's critically- acclaimed cast in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. The production, nominated for Best Revival in last year's Broadway World Awards, will return for two performances at the Arts Theatre on Monday 15th August.

?TexARTS' next production in its 2016-17 Professional Series will be a musical inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley. Starring Michael Carrasco (North American Tour, Grease!), Rachel Pallante (The Vortex, The Tempest), Polly Seale (Radio City Music National Tour, The Wizard of Oz), Michael Marchese (TexARTS' My Way A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra), Kami Smith (Austin Shakespeare, As You Like It), Kristi King (Doctuh Mistuh Productions, Reefer Madness), Curt Olson (TexARTS, Guys and Dolls), and Toni Baker. All Shook Up runs August 12 - 21 at the Kam and James Morris Theatre.

The Windham Theatre announces the great line-up of shows coming up in the Burton Leavitt Theatre, 779 Main Street, Willimantic for the 2016-2017 Season that kicks off this summer.

Music Theatre Wichita opens its 45th summer season June 15-19 with the first of its five large- scale productions, Nice Work If You Can Get It at Century II Concert Hall in downtown Wichita, KS. This marks the 29th season for producing artistic director Wayne Bryan.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham is thrilled to announce the first show in the Laguna Playhouse 2016-2017 season, the perfect family summertime, fun-time musical, ALL SHOOK UP, book by Joe DiPietro, musical direction by Jeff Biering, choreography by Paula Hammons Sloan and directed by Steve Steiner. 

All eyes are on New York as the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League prepare to present the Tony Awards at the seventieth ceremony of its kind. On the morning of the awards, BroadwayWorld South Africa asked six local theatre professionals what the Tony Awards means to them and who they were hoping would bring home the bacon.

Theatre Three announces a five-show season for its Theatre Too downstairs studio space, including revamped classics, a world premiere and a chilling Conor McPherson thriller.

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS by Joe DiPietro, opened Off-Broadway in 1998 and ran for over 800 performances during the original two year run. Audiences may be more familiar with DiPietro as the author of the long-running musical revue I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. It is easy to see why the show was a long running success. It is a script full of warmth, wit and familial truth that speaks directly to the generation gap experienced by Baby Boomers.

There seems to be a trend in the choices theaters are making regarding musicals they produce. Maybe it's a desire to attract younger audiences, or it's the popularity of comic book heroes as the subject of television shows and movies, but like it or not, the age of 'unusual' protagonists is here.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham is thrilled to announce the sixth and final show in the Laguna Playhouse 2015-2016 season, Emerson Collins starring in BUYER AND CELLAR, written by Jonathan Tolins and directed by Larry Raben.

Over 400 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the performing arts professional mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 5:30pm on Monday, June 6 at The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College (524 West 59th Street, NYC).

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham presents the sixth and final show in the Laguna Playhouse 2015-2016 season, Emerson Collins starring in BUYER AND CELLAR, written by Jonathan Tolins and directed by Larry Raben, beginning today, June 1.