Popular Comedy Back to Jersey Roots at Bickford

Joe DiPietro not only wrote a comedy about his grandparents, he lived to tell about it.

The Jersey native, Rutgers University graduate and celebrated playwright, who now has several Broadway credits to his name, tells a charming tale about “Over the River and Through the Woods,” his first play, and its debut at the former American Stage Company in Teaneck.

"I wanted to write about my family," DiPietro said in an interview with Patch. "Three of my grandparents were still alive when it opened, and they came to the premiere. I was very nervous because they weren’t the type of people who went to a lot of plays, let alone ones where they are characters in the play. When it was over, I asked my Nana, who was very hard of hearing, what she thought. She said, 'Joe, I really couldn’t hear most of it, but it was lovely.'"

Since that debut in 1994, audiences all over the world have thought the same thing. Now, this frequently revived gem is back in the Garden State at the professional .

“It’s a very funny family comedy. I’m hoping it will be a crowd-pleaser,” said artistic director Eric Hafen, who is personally directing the production. “I’m counting on it being a crowd-pleaser.”

Following a rare and successful foray into developmental theater—coproducing “The Last Days of Mickey and Jean” with Playwrights Theatre in Madison and the Oldcastle Theatre in Bennington, Vt.—the Bickford is returning to its core mission of reviving worthy and generally popular plays.

Based on DiPietro’s own experience, “Over the River and Through the Woods” is about Nick, a young New York City bachelor who is ready to accept his dream job in Seattle, which is troubling news for his Italian grandparents. They love their dutiful grandson, who still crosses the Hudson River to have dinner with them in Hoboken every Sunday.

Hilarity, as they say, ensues when they hatch a scheme to keep him on the East Coast, a plot that dangles their lovely neighbor, Caitlyn, as bait.

“When you’re growing up, you think your reality is everyone’s reality,” DiPietro said. “A lot of plays are about dysfunctional families. Ours was a functional family. My grandparents loved us and worked very hard to make sure their grandchildren could have a better life. But they couldn’t relate their lives to ours. … [Over the years] the universality [of the play] has really sunk in watching it done all over the world. I’ve seen it done in Japan with Japanese grandparents. My one grandmother was the nurturer and cook. The other was more bossy and tells people how to live their lives. And you see the audiences relate to that. … People come up to me and say, ‘How do you know my family?’”

DiPietro went on to strike more universal chords with the off-Broadway musical comedy, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” which also has been revived countless times, including a terrific production at the Bickford a few years ago. He also scored an off-Broadway hit in 2009 with the outrageous “Toxic Avenger: the Musical,” another show set in New Jersey.

He took a broader perspective to a wider audience on Broadway, penning the book for the Elvis Presley jukebox musical, “All Shook Up,” in 2005, then scored a big hit writing the book and lyrics for “Memphis,” which won the 2010 Tony for Best Musical and is still running at the Schubert Theatre. Like “Toxic Avenger,” “Memphis” featured music by fellow Jersey boy David Bryan, better known as a founding member and keyboard player for Bon Jovi.

In the spring, his next musical, “Nice Work if You Can Get It,” opens at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre with Matthew Broderick in the lead.

Despite his success, though, DiPietro loves returning to his Jersey roots, and loves to see his work return there as well.

“I grew up in New Jersey,” he said. “My family is in New Jersey. People always get it a little more in New Jersey.”

And if DiPietro ever wants to develop another new play in New Jersey, Hafen will be happy to accommodate.

“We did well with ‘Mickey and Jean’ and if it ends up going somewhere, our name will be in the program, which is nice,” he said.

“Over The River and through the Woods” runs Nov. 17 to Dec. 4 at the Bickford Theatre, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township. Tickets are $20 to $40. For information, call 973-971-3706 or visit bickfordtheatre.org.