On the afternoon of March 12th of 2023, I saw the 3pm performance of "A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical" at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City. The jukebox musical began previews on November 2nd, 2022. The production officially premiered on December 4th of that year. I won the ticket lottery for the March 12th performance of this show. While my theatre ticket for "The Phantom of the Opera" wasn't won through the ticket lottery, my ticket for "Some Like It Hot" was. What sets this theatre ticket apart from the past two excursions was that my seat was in the orchestra level, and not in the mezzanine or the balcony level. Don't get me wrong. Those were great vantage points for "Some Like it Hot" and "Phantom." But an orchestra level seat for "A Beautiful Noise" was great too--maybe even better. Although, the mezzanine was the ideal place to sit when seeing "Phantom"--particularly when the chandelier fell.
Did I mention that there were a few empty seats to my right? Once the musical began, I moved over one seat and spread out a little. The Broadhurst Theatre is a particularly cramped venue. Unless, of course, I've gained weight since seeing "Phantom" in February. Oh well. I was only slightly cramped. But once I had empty seats on either side of me, I was much more comfortable, though a little nervous I would start expecting empty seats at future theatre outings. The Broadhurst Theatre opened in 1917--when people were a lot smaller in stature. That might explain why the seats were so cramped.
At the performance of "A Beautiful Noise" that I saw, the cast included Mark Jacoby (Neil - Now); Linda Powell (Doctor); Will Swenson (Neil - Then); Bri Sudia (Ellie Greenwich, Rose Diamond); Jessie Fisher (Jaye Posner); Samantha Gershman, Alex Hairston, Brinie Wallace (Backup Singers); MiMi Scardulla ("The Boat that I Row" Soloist); Jess LeProtto ("Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" Soloist, Bitter End Trio Singer); Makai Hernandez ("Red, Red Wine" Soloist); Max Sangerman ("Kentucky Woman" Soloist); Paige Faure (Bitter End Trio Singer); Neal Benari (Paul Colby, Tommy O'Rourke); Robyn Hurder (Marcia Murphey); Tom Alan Robbins (Bert Berns, Kieve Diamond); and Deandre Sevon (Bitter End Trio Singer, "Shilo" Soloist).
The Pre-Broadway World Premiere of "A Beautiful Noise" was originally scheduled to run at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston from June 21st through July 31st, 2022. I think it was due to popular demand that the Boston Engagement was extended through August 7th. There is some conflicting information though. One article says that extra performances were added, while another article says that preview performances were canceled due to covid plaguing the cast. Speaking of the cast, the only cast member I am certain I've seen in a show before is Jess LeProtto. My Dad and I saw him in the National Tour of "Hello, Dolly!" back in the Fall of 2018. He played the role of Barnaby Tucker.
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| A photo I took of the Broadhurst Theatre marquee. I didn't clean my camera lense correctly prior to taking the photo. As you can see, the consequences were dire. |
"A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical" features scenic design by David Rockwell; costume design by Emilio Sosa and Annie J. Le; lighting design by Kevin Adams; sound design by Jessica Paz; hair and wig design by Luc Verschueren; and makeup design by Luc Verschueren. While the music and lyrics are by Neil Diamond, "A Beautiful Noise" features a book by Anthony McCarten. The director of the musical is Michael Mayer, who also directed the Original Broadway Production of "Spring Awakening," as well as the 2019 revival of "Burn This" and the 2022 revival of "Funny Girl." David Rockwell was also the scenic designer for "Kinky Boots" and the Lincoln Center Revival of "Falsettos." I saw the national tour of both musicals.
This was not the first jukebox musical I have seen. Generally, I am not a big fan of them. As fat as jukebox musicals, I've seen "Mamma Mia
!" "Cruel Intentions," "Beautiful: the Carol King Musical," "Motown the musical," "Moulin Rouge!" and "Bullets Over Broadway." It is possible I am forgetting to mention one or two. I think "A Beautiful Noise" might be one of the better, if not the best jukebox musical I've seen. Then again, "Moulin Rouge!" was pretty amazing--even on tour, where they pulled out all the stops. I enjoyed watching "A Beautiful Noise," even though I had to go to the bathroom during the first act. But during intermission, I waited in the surprisingly long line for the men's room, determined to be more comfortable during the second act. More comfortable I was. Also, for a feel-good musical, Act Two got pretty emotional towards the end. I was surprised since, at the time I saw the show, and while I write this blog post, Neil Diamond is very much alive. Though that shouldn't mean the show couldn't get sad. In a way, I'm glad it was sad. Ooh! Rhyming! This review has everything!
At the time I write this post, it's been about a month since a new block of tickets for "A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical" had been released. I think when most shows release a new block of tickets, it is for a few months of performances. This time, though, the run had been extended at least through January 7th, 2024. While it is a good show, that might have been a little hasty. Who knows what is to come during the next year? Or, maybe it will be a great year, and "A Beautiful Noise" will enjoy great success. Or maybe the run will be extended again... All I know is that the price of the Telecharge lottery ticket for this show was lowered, which was one of the reasons I finally saw it. Also, there were empty seats... at a weekend performance. Still, I hope the show doesn't close.
The cast, led to a degree by Will Swenson and furthermore by Mark Jacoby, gave a great performance. Though I haven't really seen Neil Diamond perform, I had a feeling Will Swenson gave a transformative performance as Diamond himself. His voice certainly sounded like that which I heard in the countless songs presented in this very musical. I've seen Tony Award clips of Will Swenson over the years, and each role he played was like seeing and hearing a completely different person. When Mark Jacoby, as the current Neil Diamond, finally got up and sang at the end of the show, he showcased strong vocals. I'm sure it would have been a throwback to anyone who's seen him in "Ragtime" (Broadway), "Show Boat" (Broadway), or even "The Phantom of the Opera" (Broadway and Chicago Productions), but this was my first time seeing him in a show. It was long overdue. He was just one member of a talented cast that made up the company of "A Beautiful Noise."
While I'm sure Jacoby gave a faithful performance, and depiction, as "Neil-Now," no mention was made about Neil Diamond having been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2018. The jukebox musical, musical narrative, concludes with Neil Diamond's Doctor (excellently played by Linda Powell, as previously mentioned) asking him if he was ok with not performing anymore, or ever again. Meanwhile, Neil Diamond, just after being diagnosed, performed in a benefit concert. I'm not sure what the meaning of this discrepancy was, or if it even was a discrepancy. I don't suppose Mark Jacoby could have been on stage mirroring the movements of Neil Diamond's tremors or possible lack of coordination. Perhaps the doctor's question was subtly referring to the difficult road ahead of him. It is slightly mysterious, yet lacks the intrigue that makes any mystery solving worthwhile. I'd rather just be left with the question--a question which I already forgot.
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| Will Swenson as Neil Diamond (photo by Julieta Cervantes). |
Or, it might not be my place to ask poorly phrased questions. What I now know is that April is Parkinson's Awareness Month. Also, on Parkinson's Awareness Day of 2023 (April 11th), the production team of "A Beautiful Noise" raised $500,000 for the cause. A check was presented to John Lehr (the CEO of the Parkinson's Foundation) by the cast of "A Beautiful Noise."
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