Interview: See Multihyphenate Actor JUAN PABLO DI PACE: LIVE! at 54 Below

Stage, film and television star Juan Pablo Di Pace will return to 54 Below on October 4 and 5, 2024 at 7 pm with a brand new show, Juan Pablo Di Pace: Live! Juan Pablo Di Pace will pay tribute to iconic songs from Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, and the Bee Gees – plus original compositions.

Argentinian born actor, filmmaker, dancer, and musician, Juan Pablo Di Pace has been seamlessly moving across different mediums in show-business since 2002. As an actor, he played Fernando on Netflix’s #1 sitcom “Fuller House” (People’s Choice Awards), starred as Jesus Christ on NBC’s “A.D. The Bible Continues” (Best Actor Grace Award), appeared in Mamma Mia! (2008), starred in Paramount’s film Dashing In December (GLAAD award), The Mattachin Family (Outfest), The Bad Girl (VIX+), Branching Out (Hallmark) and others. As a writer/producer he created the stage show Act One/An Evening With, a cabaret produced in the US and Spain (BroadwayWorld awards nominee for both USA + Spain), the series “Minutiae,” and the short films Admission (LA Shorts).

In addition to his performances at 54 Below, one week later on October 12, Juan Pablo will be making his cinematic debut as a writer-director with his tender semi-autobiographical film Duino. Executive Produced by the late television legend Norman Lear and Brent Miller, and co-directed by Andrés Pepe Estrada, this endearing tale follows an Argentine filmmaker who, unable to finish editing a movie about his unrequited first love, receives an unexpected invitation to revisit his past. As he reconstructs his memories, he may even find a new ending to his story. Duino will have its New York premiere at NewFest: The 36th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival at SVA Theaters on 333 West 23rd Street.

Read a conversation with Di Pace below about his upcoming cabaret show and film debut.

What are you most looking forward to about your upcoming show at 54 Below?

I’m most excited to be back in front of a New York audience and to perform in such a legendary space. It’s been four years since I last performed here, and New York holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I studied at the Uta Hagen studio back in 2011, and it always feels like a theatrical Mecca to me—a place I keep returning to for inspiration and connection.

Your last "One Person Show" in New York was nominated for a BroadwayWorld Award in 2020. What can we expect from this one?

At the beginning of my career, before film and TV, there was a time when I breathed and slept Musical Theater, as a dancer first, and then as an actor/singer/dancer... With this show, I’m revisiting the characters and situations from those beginnings, as well as key experiences in my life that have always been accompanied by music—like a living soundtrack of memories. I also want to pay homage to 54 Below itself. Performing beneath the iconic Studio 54, arguably the most legendary nightclub in the world, feels like a full-circle moment being a 1970’s child… If those walls could talk! I’m excited to celebrate the decade that gave us so much richness in art, music, musicals and films and bring that spirit to the stage.

Michael Orland, vocal coach of the first 16 seasons of American Idol, is your music director; how has that been? 

Michael is a dream to work with. We have such an understanding together since we have been collaborating pretty much since I arrived in LA 11 years ago… He is such a pro, that he often anticipates my ideas before I can even articulate them. I’m very lucky to have him here in NYC!

You'll be performing some of your original music at the show. Can you tell me about the inspiration for one of the songs you'll be performing that you wrote yourself?

I'll be performing "Without You," a song I co-wrote with multi-platinum songwriter and producer Nick Gale, who was just nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the Music Business UK Awards 2024. This song holds a special place in my heart because it explores the universal feeling of incompleteness when you're in love. In the lyrics, "It's like I'm living a half-life here without you," Nick and I really leaned into this theme. The song features a mid-tempo, piano-driven melody that subtly mirrors the ticking of a clock. Lately, the concept of time—and its relentless impartiality—has been a recurring theme in my work.

You also have DUINO, the film you wrote, co-directed and starred in, premiering soon at NewFest Film Festival. How does it feel to be making your debut as a writer and co-director?

Making my directorial debut alongside my longtime friend and collaborator Andrés Pepe Estrada, who has been the editor of great films such as the Oscar nominated "Argentina 1985," and being able to do our New York premiere at NewFest is both thrilling and surreal. I’ve poured so much of myself into DUINO, for three years, and seeing it come to life and the audience reactions is a beautiful thing. It’s a vulnerable experience, but also deeply rewarding.

DUINO is Executive Produced by the legendary late Norman Lear and Brent Miller, how was it working with them?

Working with Norman Lear and Brent Miller has been pure joy. I met Norman at a lunch before we started filming and his words to me I will never forget: “promise me you will do the film you want to make, not anyone else’s.” In a world where opinions are a dime a dozen, where everyone is a critic, Norman’s words have not only saved me from situations but are a guiding light when things get confusing. I will be forever grateful to Brent and Norman.

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Tickets to see Juan Pablo Di Pace at 54 Below in New York City on October 4 & 5 are available on 54 Below’s website here.

You can see the NewFest Premiere of DUINO on October 12th at 6 pm  at the SVS Theatre in New York. Tickets are available on NewFest’s website here.

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