Joe DiPietro explained

Joe DiPietro
Birth Place:Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.
Years Active:1991–present
Education:Rutgers University

Joe DiPietro (born 1961[1]) is an American playwright, lyricist and author.[2] He is best known for the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis, for which he won the Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score as well as for writing the book and lyrics for the long-running off-Broadway show I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change.

Biography

Born in Teaneck, New Jersey,[3] DiPietro grew up in nearby Oradell,[4] [5] the son of Lou and Jean DiPietro. He attended Oradell Public School and River Dell High School,[6] before graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Rutgers University in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in English.[7]

DiPietro is openly gay.[8]

Work

Following a run of Love Lemmings at the Top of the Village Gate in 1991, DiPietro's first produced work was I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, written with composer Jimmy Roberts, which ran for twelve years (5,003 performances) off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre.[9] He followed that up with 1998's comedy Over the River and Through the Woods, which played the John Houseman Theatre for 800 performances over two years.[10]

DiPietro's work made its Broadway debut in 2005 with the Elvis Presley jukebox musical All Shook Up.[11] The Toxic Avenger, written with Bon Jovi's David Bryan, debuted off-Broadway on April 6, 2009, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical.[12]

DiPietro and Bryan's Memphis won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical. It ran at the Shubert Theatre for three years (1,165 performances) and continues in touring production all over the country. DiPietro won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score, and the show also received the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical.[13]

Nice Work If You Can Get It, a re-imagining of a Gershwin musical, starring Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara, opened at Broadway's Imperial Theatre in 2012. The show, and DiPietro's book, were nominated for Tony Awards in 2012, and DiPietro won the Drama Desk Award for Best Book of a Musical.[14]

Clever Little Lies ran in late 2013 at George Street Playhouse and debuted in New York's Westside Theatre in 2015 with Marlo Thomas and Greg Mullavey.[15]

The musical Chasing the Song, which reunited DiPietro with Bryan, was workshopped at La Jolla Playhouse in the summer of 2014. 2014 also saw DiPietro reworking the Garson Kanin play Peccadillo into Living on Love, which starred the opera star Renée Fleming and was a highlight of the 2014 Williamstown Theatre Festival.[16]

Other recent plays include Creating Claire, which debuted at George Street Playhouse in 2010,[17] and The Last Romance, which played the Old Globe in 2010[18] after debuting at Kansas City's New Theatre in 2008.[19] and Ernest Shackleton Loves Me (with the score written by Val Vigoda and Brendan Milburn of GrooveLily fame.) Shackleton was shown as part of the PBS series Broadway on HD, on November 26, 2018.

Diana, a musical treatment of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales with lyrics and book by DiPietro, was scheduled to open on Broadway in March 2020, but was postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic. The production was filmed for Netflix and opened subsequently on Broadway in November 2021.[20]

Plays

Awards and nominations

YearAward CategoryWorkResult
2009Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Book of a MusicalThe Toxic Avenger
2010Tony AwardBest Book of a MusicalMemphis
Best Original Score
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Book of a Musical
2012Tony AwardBest Book of a MusicalNice Work If You Can Get It
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Book of a Musical
Outer Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Book of a Musical
2015Laurence Olivier AwardOutstanding Musical ContributionMemphis
2022Golden Raspberry AwardsWorst PictureDiana
Worst Screenplay

Notes and References

  1. Eleven years running, just perfect, why change?. July 4–10, 1998. Jerry. Tallmer. The Villager. February 16, 2008. February 26, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080226114853/http://www.thevillager.com/villager_218/elevenyearsrunning.html. dead.
  2. https://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1245493/Giving-Allegro-a-heart-transplant.html "Giving Allegro a heart transplant"
  3. Ouzounian, Richard. "Toxic Avenger found his bard in Bon Jovi: Band's David Bryan just wants people to sing the songs he writes", Toronto Star, December 6, 2009. Accessed December 6, 2009. "He got a crash course in how to do it when he met up with Joe DiPietro, another Jersey boy (this one from Teaneck)."
  4. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DB113BF931A25751C0A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Theater; New Musical Headed For American Stage
  5. Web site: Playbill News: A Perfect Love . February 24, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080706190751/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110254.html . July 6, 2008 . dead .
  6. In Person; Family, Faith, Food and Fun. October 11, 1998. Alvin. Klein. The New York Times. February 16, 2008.
  7. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DOUBLING+DOWN+WITH+JOE+DIPIETRO%3B+2+OF+HIS+SHOWS+OPEN+IN+AREA.(L.A....-a083393166 Doubling Down With Joe DiPietro; 2 of his shows open in area
  8. http://www.dallasvoice.com/memphis-belle-10109003.html "Memphis belle"
  9. I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change Ends NYC Run After More Than a Decade. July 27, 2008. Andrew. Gans. Playbill. March 8, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130614041924/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/119798-I-Love-You-Youre-Perfect-Now-Change-Ends-NYC-Run-After-More-Than-a-Decade-July-27. June 14, 2013. dead.
  10. Web site: Archived copy . February 24, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151119153443/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&title=Over%20the%20River%20and%20Through%20the%20Woods . November 19, 2015 . dead .
  11. Web site: All Shook up – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB.
  12. Web site: Archived copy . March 8, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140513062805/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_ARCHIVE/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=5324 . May 13, 2014 . dead .
  13. Web site: Memphis – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB.
  14. Web site: Nice Work if You Can Get It – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB.
  15. http://observer.com/2015/10/marlo-thomas-stars-in-off-broadway-marriage-comedy-clever-little-lies/ "Marlo Thomas Stars in Off-Broadway Marriage Comedy Clever Little Lies
  16. News: Out of Tune, and Seeking New Muses. The New York Times. July 20, 2014. Soloski. Alexis.
  17. Old Battle, New Play: Religion vs. Science. May 28, 2010. Anita. Gates. New York Times. February 16, 2008.
  18. Review Roundup: Joe DiPietro's The Last Romance, With Marion Ross, Paul Michael, Opens at the Old Globe. August 11, 2010. Andy. Propst. TheaterMania. February 16, 2008.
  19. The New Theatre Restaurant: Last Romance Review. September 23, 2008. Marieann. Koehler. Entertainment Spectrum. February 16, 2008.
  20. News: Franklin . Marc J. . 2021-11-18 . A Look Inside Opening Night of Diana: the Musical on Broadway . Playbill . 2022-06-13.
  21. http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=28000 Joe DiPietro To Open Newest Play In UK 5/16
  22. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D9173FF931A2575BC0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Theater; A Not-So-New Gershwin Musical
  23. Web site: doollee.com The Playwrights Database . February 17, 2008 . March 14, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080314095329/http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsD/dipietro-joe.html . dead .
  24. http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/whoswho/biography/3335.html Playbill Biography: JOE DiPIETRO
  25. Web site: Lortel Archives, provides a catalogue of shows produced Off-Broadway. . June 22, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070915155341/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=1340 . September 15, 2007 . dead .

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