The illustrious Nederlander Theatre has officially welcomed a dynamic new resident to the cast of the Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Schmigadoon!. Actor, director, and musician Juan Pablo Di Pace—widely recognized by global audiences for his charismatic television roles in Netflix’s Fuller House and NBC’s A.D.: The Bible Continues—is making his historic Broadway debut. Di Pace has stepped into the role of the emotionally reserved, stern physician known simply as "Doc," a character whose tightly wound world and guarded heart are profoundly upended by the arrival of the vibrant Melissa Gimble, played brilliantly by Tony nominee Sara Chase.
The Argentine-born multi-hyphenate is temporarily filling the shoes of original cast member Ivan Hernandez, who has embarked on a scheduled four-week leave of absence. Di Pace is slated to command the Nederlander stage through November 22. This theatrical milestone represents the realization of a lifelong ambition for Di Pace, a seasoned "triple threat" who built his foundational training in London and Spain before a prolific career in film and television momentarily paused his stage aspirations. In a candid, career-spanning interview, Di Pace opened up about the grueling yet formative hurdles of his early years, the mentors who shaped his artistic identity, his acclaimed transition into award-winning filmmaking, and why live theater remains an irreplaceable antidote to an increasingly digital world.
Detailed Chronology: From Buenos Aires Dreams to Broadway Reality
The Hardships of Early Training and a Life-Altering Encounter in London
Juan Pablo Di Pace’s journey to the Great White Way is a masterclass in resilience. His artistic inclinations blossomed early; he took his inaugural acting classes in Buenos Aires at the tender age of twelve, guided by his sister, Victoria Di Pace, and deeply influenced by his mother, painter Marta Maineri, who instilled in him a lifelong reverence for Renaissance and Impressionistic art.
Determined to hone his craft on an international scale, a young Di Pace won a scholarship to study acting at London’s prestigious Mountview Theatre School. Backed by the financial pooling of his entire family, he secured a one-way ticket from Argentina to the United Kingdom, possessing no local connections and relying on volunteer work at a center for adults with learning difficulties in exchange for room, board, and a modest food stipend.
Disaster struck upon his arrival when Mountview informed him of a catastrophic administrative error: his scholarship did not exist, and the tuition fees totaled an insurmountable £30,000. Cast adrift in a foreign land with no safety net, no plan B, and a profound reluctance to admit defeat to his family back home, Di Pace wandered the streets of London in despair.
Fate intervened in the form of a theater marquee. Standing outside the New London Theatre displaying Cats, Di Pace realized a ticket cost exactly £50—the entirety of his remaining food money for the week. Desperate for solace, he purchased a front-row seat. The performance fundamentally re-routed his life’s trajectory. Watching the performers execute athletic, powerhouse choreography with absolute commitment, Di Pace experienced
a visceral awakening.
"When the lights came up, it felt as if all those cats were dancing with me, to me, to this kid in the front row, who was suddenly mesmerized, inspired, turned on," Di Pace reflected. "I thought, ‘Forget just acting, I want to be a dancer!’"
Channeling that sudden inspiration, he cold-called every dance school in London until the London Studio Centre offered him a scholarship, effectively cementing the launch of his professional career.
Establishing International Chops: The West End and European Stage
Di Pace’s early career quickly blossomed across Europe. He established himself as a formidable triple-threat performer, dazzling audiences in London, Spain, and Italy. He made his West End debut at age 23 as Billy Flynn in the long-running revival of Chicago—an extraordinary feat given that English was his second language and he still carried a pronounced accent. His time in Chicago introduced him to the legendary Bob Fosse style under the tutelage of Gary Chryst, sparking an enduring artistic romance with Fosse’s choreography and directorial philosophy.
His theatrical credits further expanded across Madrid, where he starred as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever (directed by Karen Bruce, who taught him how to command a stage as a leading man) and Juan in Más de 100 Mentiras. He also showcased his vocal versatility by fronting The Music of George Michael alongside the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Despite these triumphs, the siren call of film and television beckoned, leading him to screen work that temporarily placed his theatrical ambitions on the back burner.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Multidisciplinary Artist
While Di Pace is best known internationally for his screen work—including his beloved portrayal of Fernando Hernandez-Guerrero-Fernandez-Guerrero on Netflix’s Fuller House, Jesus in NBC’s A.D.: The Bible Continues, and multiple Hallmark holiday films, culminating in his fourth outing, Holiday Unplugged—his artistic footprint extends far beyond acting.
A Force Behind the Camera
Di Pace has firmly established himself as an auteur in the independent filmmaking space. His debut feature film, Before We Forget—which he wrote, co-directed, and starred in—has achieved staggering critical acclaim. Executive-produced by television legend the late Norman Lear, the film draws upon a deeply personal memory from Di Pace’s adolescence, dissecting the ways human beings romanticize or alter past events in their minds.
The film’s festival run was nothing short of historic:
Total Festival Screenings: Approximately 50 international festivals.
Award Tally: 17 major awards, including the prestigious NewFest Audience Award in 2024.
Distribution: Currently available for streaming across all major digital platforms.
Future Projects: Buoyed by the success of his directorial debut, Di Pace is already deep into pre-production for his second feature film.
In addition to feature films, Di Pace created the digital series Minutiae and directed the acclaimed short films Admission and La Belleza.
Official Statements & Production Insights: Inside Schmigadoon!
Stepping into the role of the taciturn Doc in Schmigadoon! has given Di Pace a chance to synthesize his classical training with the joyful, satirical ethos of Cinco Paul’s hit television-turned-stage creation.
Deconstructing the Character of Doc
Describing his character’s narrative arc, Di Pace highlights the liberating transformation Doc undergoes throughout the musical.
"What I love about Doc is that he starts out a stern man who badly needs a change in his life, and his arc takes him to almost the opposite direction," Di Pace explains. "When the mask drops and all bets are off, it’s like he becomes an eight-year-old. I think of him as a mix of Christopher Plummer and Desi Arnaz."
A particular highlight of his nightly performance is his emotional duet with Isabelle McCalla, who stars as the schoolmarm Emma. Di Pace likens the number to classic Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein compositions, noting its striking thematic and musical kinship to The Sound of Music—a film he watched religiously with his family growing up, and which heavily informed his physicalization and psychological approach to Doc as a spiritual descendant of Captain von Trapp.
The Philosophy of "Small Breaks"
When reflecting on the milestones of his career, Di Pace rejects the monolithic concept of a single "big break," preferring a philosophy rooted in continuous perseverance.
"Life is a series of small breaks. I don’t believe in a big break per se. One thing leads to the next and so forth," he states. "A life in showbiz is a life of starting all over again in every job, of convincing people you are worth their investment, of proving your worth over and over again… A big break is when you decide there is nothing else you’d rather do, and that shift in thinking is what opens doors."
Future Outlook
Juan Pablo Di Pace’s limited engagement as Doc in Schmigadoon! at the Nederlander Theatre runs through November 22. As he balances his triumphant return to musical theater with his burgeoning career as an award-winning feature film director—with preparations for his sophomore cinematic feature already underway—Di Pace remains a shining exemplar of modern artistic versatility.
In a cultural landscape dominated by algorithms, streaming platforms, and digitized distraction, Di Pace views the overwhelming success of Schmigadoon!—and its triumphant transition to the Broadway stage—as proof of an ongoing theatrical renaissance.
"At a moment when screens and algorithms have seeped into every part of our lives, a show built on talent, dancing, humor, hand-painted sets, and a brilliant score makes all the sense in the world," Di Pace concludes. "You can walk in, forget everything, and spend an evening in a silly world, in the golden age of musicals, where a tap number can be joy for no other reason than joy."
For theatergoers fortunate enough to catch his run at the Nederlander, Di Pace’s Broadway debut is not merely a temporary casting substitution; it is the long-awaited coronation of a lifelong troubadour who finally claimed his place at the holy grail of live performance.
