LOU
DiMAGGIO:
One Play's Journey to
the Great White Way
Becomes a Stand-Up
Comic's Journey Home
by Joanne Johnson / Humor Editor
T a l k i n g C o m e d y . c o m |
This is the story of one play's
journey … a journey that began in LA as a germ of an idea in the
heads of a couple of stand-up comedians' from New York …all the way
to it's opening night on Broadway. And within that story is another story
…the story of another journey. The journey of one stand-up comic
from his adopted home of LA all the way back to his hometown of New York.
For in that summer former New York stand-up comedian Lou DiMaggio's talents
certainly returned home to New York in a big way... the Great White Way.
They say you can't go home again ... or can you? For Lou DiMaggio, home
used to be the comedy clubs of Manhattan and Long Island in their heyday
'80s. When the comedy scene started to wane DiMaggio decided it was time
to head out west and seriously begin pursuing his other career goals,
acting and writing. That decision came a decade ago and has kept him quite
busy in his adopted LA. But when you hail from New York, even if the entertainment
industry draws you away, someday New York is bound to call you home again.
For DiMaggio, that call came the summer of '98 with the successful run,
on Broadway, of An Irish Wake, the one-man show he co-wrote with
the play's star Colin Quinn (who at the time was Saturday Night Live's
‘Weekend Update’ Anchorman).
In fact that year had been a whirlwind of exciting experiences, on both
coasts, for the multi-talented DiMaggio. First came the nomination for
a Cable Ace Award, then, in May, DiMaggio's first Daytime Emmy Award for
his writing work on Win Ben Stein's Money. “I swear to you
I never thought we had a chance to actually win it,” he confides.
“We were up against Rosie O'Donnell and Jeopardy, among
others, so I thought it was a nice honor but again we'd never win ...
 We
won! I was asked by the producers to be the spokesman for the group in
the event that we did win.” It was an amazing experience for DiMaggio,
a magical night and a great thrill. “When they announced us,”says
DiMaggio, “it was an incredible shock, really exhilarating.”
The excitement would not end there, for within a few months DiMaggio would
get word that a project he had begun work on nearly seven years ago, An
Irish Wake, would actually be going to Broadway. “I
was very happy and yet cautiously optimistic,” says DiMaggio. “Anybody
who's in this business knows that nothing is real until you're doing it.”
And so began the crazy paced, hectic rush to get everything ready for
the big opening night. “We had a little less than two weeks to re-write
the show and then even less time to actually rehearse in the theater.
It was the most insane, intense time I've ever spent,” admits DiMaggio,
but adds “It was also, as usual, the most fun and satisfying time.”
… Join
us for the Second Half of this Story NEXT ISSUE
in Our @ the THEATER Section …
& Follow a Play from an LA Theater House to Off-Broadway to
the Great White Way!
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Photo Credits:
Photos are courtesy of Lou DiMaggio
TalkingComedy.com
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