– By Cate Marquis –
“A Beautiful Noise – The Neil Diamond Musical” brings a ton of the prolific singer/songwriter’s pop song hits to the Fabulous Fox stage, through November 10, providing an entertaining distraction from election season jitters. Certainly that is the case if you are a Neil Diamond fan, at least – and there are plenty of fans of Neil Diamond’s catchy, storytelling songs.
Since “Jersey Boys,” there has been a spate of these biographical musicals of various artists and bands. Besides varying in how good they might be as entertainment, they generally fall into two broad categories: intriguing, surprising, dramatic stories behind the pop music that might not have a big current big fan base (“Jersey Boys” falls here), and musicals that are primarily showcases for the music of a popular musician or band for the fans of that artist or band, and less a dramatic story with shocking twists. “A Beautiful Noise – The Neil Diamond Musical” falls firmly in the latter category. If you are a fan of Neil Diamond, this show is a real treat, packed with his many songs and hits, performed with electrifying style by Nick Fradiani. While Neil’s life has had its troubles, there is no jaw dropping untold story here – just plenty of the man’s hit music.
Besides all those Neil Diamond hits, this musical actually has two Neil Diamonds: the present-day older Neil and the young Neil of the past. The singer/songwriter’s story is told through a framing devise, as the older Neil Diamond talks to his therapist, billed only as Doctor (Lisa Renee Pitts), as the present day Neil (Neil – Now in the credits) remembering his past, while we see the young Neil on stage (Neil – Then in the credits). On Opening Night, 10-29, Neil – Now is played by Dale Duko (rather than Robert Westenberg as usual), while Neil – Then is played by Nick Fradiani, the “American Idol” winner in 2015, who usually plays that leading role. The younger Neil, naturally, is the star of this show, and Nick Fradiani does an amazing job.
As Neil Now recounts his life story through a therapy session, we start with Neil in his early 20s trying to break into songwriting, something he has loved since age 15. He gets an audition with a hit-maker music producer/agent, Ellie Greenwich (Kate A Mulligan) and tells her first he wants to change his name. He hesitates to tell her his real name but eventually she gets it out of him: Neil Diamond. Yeah, not changing that she tells him.
Starting out with that bit of humor helps, as Neil Now is a pretty grumpy (but funny) guy, who was forced into therapy by his wife and kids because, well, he’s impossible to live with. In this flashback to early life we also we meet Neil’s first wife Jaye (Tiffany Tatreau) with whom he already has a child. He really needs this job.
The story is well-told through this framing devise, and going back to these early career days has a few surprisings (like that Diamond is his real name), including that he started as a songwriter, not a singer, and wrote the Monkee’s hit “I’m a Believer” and other songs recorded by others such as “Red Red Wine.” Eventually, manager Ellie Greenwich persuades him to try singing his own songs, with a debut in Greenwich Village at then-obscure club The Bitter End (where Bob Dylan and others got their start). There Neil meets owner Fred Weintraub (Tuck Mulligan) – and discovers a love of performing. He also meets Marcia Murphy (Hannah Jewel Kohn), who becomes his second wife. On his way to success, Neil moves to a new record label, Bang, run by Bert Berns (Michael Accardo) and the mob-connected Tommy O’Rourke (Tuck Mulligan, again). Desperate to get out of that contract by writing a hit, Neil racks his brain in a Nashville motel, and comes up with “Sweet Caroline,” leading to sweet success and freedom.
The second act, after the intermission, is dominated by a series of ever-bigger production numbers as we follow Neil’s soaring career. In talks with his therapist, he talks about round after exhausting round of tours, taking a toll on his marriage. When the therapist asks what all that doubling of work led to, Neil replies “More sequins” – one of the shows best laugh lines.
The staging is effective and glittery but not ground-breaking like the original “Jersey Boys.” The framing devise works well but the use of hippy-attired back-up dancers for songs sung by the pre-stardom Neil are more distracting than helpful. The same backup dancers dressed for the touring shows are more effective, and more appropriate for the story.
But this show isn’t really about the story, it’s about the music, and Nick Fradiani does a fabulous job. Nick Fradiani sounds amazingly like Neil Diamond, with a strong soaring voice with that familiar sound. The American Idol winner doesn’t particularly look like Neil Diamond but the show does a great job with wigs, makeup and costumes to make the illusion complete. Since the real Neil Diamond no longer performs in public (due to Parkinson’s disease putting an end to his touring, according to a note in the program from the real musician), this show is the closest you can now get to seeing Neil Diamond on stage. While Nick Fradiani does most of the singing, Dale Duko as Neil Now does get one number, and reveals a gorgeous singing voice as well as his flare for drama and comedy.
All the many favorite hits are here, beautifully staged: Sweet Caroline, of course (which gets two performances), “America” (which gets three), plus “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “Cracklin’ Rose,” “Forever in Blue Jeans” (performed by Hannah Jewel Kohn as Marcia, who also has an impressive voice), “Hello Again,” “I Am…I Said,” “I Got the Feelin’ (Oh No, No)”, “Kentucky Woman,” “Solitary Man,” “Song Sung Blue,” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.”
There are also some perhaps less familiar ones: “A Beautiful Noise,” “Brooklyn Roads,” “Thank the Lord for the Night Time,” and “Shilo,” which the show reveals has a very personal meaning for Diamond. However, this show is so song-packed that this isn’t even the full list.
“A Beautiful Noise” is really for fans of Neil Diamond’s music. While “Jersey Boys” has an unexpected dark and crime-adjacent story behind its’ musical success, Neil Diamond’s story is more straight forward: poor kid from Brooklyn makes good in pop music, with a career that soars to success, then success, then success… Sure, there are divorces and a brush with the mob, but no drugs, no gambling, no alcoholism. No rocket to success followed by a fall from fame, and then comeback. Neil finds success young, and then … more success, and then… more success. Sure, there are some dark moments – Neil struggles with depression and self-doubt, which he works through with his therapist, and there are multiple marriages and a medical diagnosis that keeps him from touring or even performing live, which he loves – but just none of that classic up-and-down career arc or long-hidden secrets revealed in other musical biography shows. Of course, there may be secrets the singer/songwriter still holds, because this musical was sanctioned by the still-living artist, but that would be for some future show. This one is just full of music by and affection for Neil Diamond – perfect for this fans, who sing along with the show from time to time, particularly one “Sweet Caroline.”
“A Beautiful Noise – The Neil Diamond Musical” is on stage at the Fabulous Fox through November 10.
© Cate Marquis
