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 Lou
DiMaggio:
A Stand-Up Comic's
Journey Home
by J.C. Johnson / January 1999 issue of
New York Nightlife Magazine |
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 nearly 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. For DiMaggio,
that call came this summer with the recent successful run, on Broadway,
of An Irish Wake, the one-man show
he co-wrote with it's star (Saturday Night
Live's Weekend Update Anchorman) Colin Quinn. And although
DiMaggio may still live in LA these days, Lou's talents certainly returned
to New York in a big way this past summer ... the Great White Way.
 In
fact, this past year has 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 before September. "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."
 With
all kinds of celebrities, industry people, family and friends in attendance
for An Irish Wake's first Broadway performance, the atmosphere
was truly electric. Colin Quinn, star of the show, had a tremendous
amount of pressure on him. "This is the hardest crowd to play for because
you really want everything to be perfect," says DiMaggio. "After only
a few days of rehearsal, with all the tech people, Colin went out that
night and just kicked ass. It was one of the most amazing experiences
of my life. It's like you're watching your child play in the World Series."
The audience gave Quinn a standing ovation and he called Bobby Moresco
and DiMaggio up on stage to take a bow with him. "I will never forget
that moment as long as I live," confides DiMaggio. "Colin is a class
guy and I'm proud to have worked with him, but moreover I'm privileged
to know him."
The long road to Broadway began in 1991 when
Quinn asked DiMaggio for his help. The two had been good friends since
their comedy club days in New York. "I think we were both going a little
stir crazy in LA," says DiMaggio, "and Colin was looking for someone
to help him get a one man show together. At first the show was a series
of seven monologues based on the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church,"
explains DiMaggio who co-wrote as well as directed the original version.
HBO saw the first incarnation, became interested in the project, and
brought in Ben Stiller to direct the play at the Tamarind Theater
in Hollywood. The following year, would bring a new director, Alan Gelfant
and a new name. New York-based attorney Diane Krausz, saw the production,
thought it was great, and offered to help. Krausz brought the project,
in 1994, to the attention of Don Kelly and Nye Heron at the off-Broadway
playhouse, the Irish Arts Center, and director Bobby Moresco,
who would later direct the Broadway version was brought on board. "The
comic scene was not particularly our strength at the time," says Kelly.
But the Irish Arts Center seemed to be just the right venue for
the play. "What was great about the experience for us," adds Don, was
that the play brought "Colin's tremendous following (from his work on
MTV) and it brought people who don't ordinarily go to theatre. It ran
during the summer, which is a tough time for off-Broadway to get business.
It was remarkable that it did so well, and it was really well received
by the press, very positive press. This was their show ... Colin and
Lou made this really happen," says Kelly of the show's journey all the
way to Broadway.
 DiMaggio
shares Kelly's enthusiasm over the play's final arrival on Broadway.
"The show was successful critically and ran for an eight-week, limited-run,
and we thought that was the end of it." DiMaggio recalls of the off-Broadway
experience. Then in 1997, the year HBO was honoring SNL, they
were asked to do a version of the show for the HBO Aspen Festival,
with DiMaggio directing this time. "Lorne Michaels, Steve Martin, and
Chevy Chase were sitting in the front row of this tiny venue we were
given," says DiMaggio. "The show got a standing ovation and was alive
again." Seeing the Aspen performance would inspire Lorne Michaels to
take the show to Broadway. "Of everything I've done so far," says DiMaggio,
"Irish Wake has been the most exciting, interesting and enjoyable,
an experience that I will always treasure. It was something that was
completely handmade with no expectations and no agendas and I'm just
very happy and truly blessed to have been involved with it and see it
come all the way to Broadway."
 We've
been talking in a diner near the original Catch A Rising Star
location, one of the clubs DiMaggio performed at regularly during his
stand-up comedy days. But the time has come to leave, for DiMaggio must
catch a flight back home to LA. As we pass the building that once housed
Catch A Rising Star, a sentimental expression crosses DiMaggio's
face. He walks over to the doorway to catch a glimpse inside. As he
stares through the front door you can tell that a flood of old memories
are pouring through his mind ... as if the life of a stand-up comic
can be condensed into a half a minute slide presentation ...a decade
worth of memories flashing by, one by one, so fast they are gone before
you can catch a real glimpse of them, yet somehow so clear it seems
as if they have taken place only yesterday. He pulls himself away from
the doorway,and comes back to the sidewalk to continue walking north.
We have spent much of our time talking about the past and the present.
But the present has a funny way of becoming the past before you know
it and with his whole Broadway experience now having come to an end
it is only fitting for Lou to look to the future. So we talk of the
things he still hopes to accomplish, the things of his tomorrows. What
he'd really like to do, he says, is be able to do all of the things
he's been doing till now but marry them together. "I want to create
a sitcom and star in it. I guess writing and performing in my own film
would also be the ultimate. Mainly though," adds Lou, "I hope to continue
to be involved in quality projects with people I enjoy working with.
When push comes to shove," admits DiMaggio, "I just want to do what
I love doing."
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Illustration by J.C. Johnson / Photos Courtesy Lou DiMaggio
To
Read a Small Sampling of My Interviews with Entertainers Click Below:
Comedy Legends Mel
Brooks & Carl Reiner
CBS's King of Queens
Star Kevin James
Stand-Up Comedian
& Playwrite Lou DiMaggio
Roger Lodge — Host
of TV's Blind Date'
To Read
a Small Sampling of My Humorous Articles Click Below:
Taxing Times for
Americans
Talking Turkey
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