By Suzanne Tate
The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise was a delightful surprise. Not your average jukebox musical, A Beautiful Noise is a raw, revealing, and brave look into the motivations, successes, shortcomings, career, and family life of Neil Diamond, told through his amazing music, set in his psychotherapist’s office.
I grew up in a family of Neil Diamond fans, listening to his music my whole life, but I knew very little about him as a person. A Beautiful Noise shows Neil Diamond the man, played by both Will Swenson (then) and Terence Crawford (now), as a flawed, even tortured individual, for whom songwriting, and especially performing, was like a drug that was the only thing that pushed back the dark clouds and made him feel alive. In the program, Neil Diamond writes of the therapeutic process of watching his life unfold on stage, bringing acceptance and growth, making him a better man. That difficult process makes for a show that is an emotional roller coaster, even for the audience, bringing surprise, anger, frustration, joy and peace, all through the varied and meaningful lyrics of Diamond’s amazing music. His music, which I have listened to for basically all my life, has so much more meaning than I ever imagined, with so much of his life invested in it.
Swenson did a fantastic job of capturing the changes to Diamond’s character throughout his professional life, from an introverted, depressed, unemployed songwriter to a charismatic, sequin-covered performer, a king of rock and roll. Swenson also managed to imitate Diamond’s unique vocal sound, “gravel wrapped in velvet”, effectively. It did feel as if that accuracy was costing Swenson. His voice sometimes sounded strained, like it was painful to create the effect, but it was very effective. I especially found ‘Soolaimon’ sounded particularly authentic. Crawford does not sing for the majority of the show, portraying the current version of Diamond as he attends his therapist’s office, discussing his life and trying to avoid discussing sensitive topics. But an explosive and deeply emotional rendition of ‘I Am… I Said’ became a powerful, heart-wrenching duet between the two versions of Diamond. This was a key moment in the show, representing a turning point in his therapy.
Swenson and Crawford were supported by an excellent cast. Monica Sayers played his doctor with warmth and care, teasing out the details of his life. As the only non-singing role in the show, it must have been challenging to sit in the centre of this vibrant, emotional celebration of a life of music without being able to even tap your foot! Diamond’s first wife, Jaye, was played by Alana Tranter, and Hannah Frerickson played Ellie Greenwhich, the woman who gave him his first big break, and who provided many of the light, humorous moments in the show. Ashleigh Rubenach played Marcia, Diamond’s second wife, very effectively. Supported by thoughtful song choices to tell the story, she showcased the development of Marcia’s character, from someone who encouraged his potential and understood his dark moods (‘Song Sung Blue’), to becoming his passionate mistress (‘Cherry Cherry’), then his supportive and longsuffering wife (‘Forever in Blue Jeans’), and eventually the woman who could no longer wait for him to stop running (‘You Don’t Bring Me Flowers’). His current wife, Katie, is not represented in the show (although she was in the audience opening night!), only mentioned in the therapy session as his “third time lucky”, a woman with “amazing grace” who encouraged him to go to therapy. A range of other supporting characters ably supported the story, adding depth, from Diamond’s parents and a mob boss/record producer through to what may have been a representation of his childhood imaginary friend, Shilo. Etuate Lutui is worth mentioning in that role for a beautiful rendition of ‘Shilo’.
The ensemble also presented a consistently strong performance, in both their movement and vocals. The dancing was choreographed by Steven Hoggett, and was effective in presenting both the mood of the music and the era in which it was set. The choreography demonstrated how people were drawn to Neil Diamond when he performed, as well as representing the actual backup dancers in his live shows. These effects were enhanced by the costumes by Emilio Sosa, which were consistently relevant to the period, location and mood of the scene. The scenes themselves, designed by David Rockwell, were quite minimalistic, but visually effective. The leather recliners that current Diamond and his therapist sat in throughout the show were moved around the stage to make room for simple set items, such as Ellie’s desk, or the table and chairs in The Bitter End performance space, and for the choreography. Some of the set items were more conceptual in nature, such as the wide range of varied lights/lamps that descended from the flys. Individual lights were lowered for various scenes, such as in Ellie’s office, but the whole selection were lowered both times that ‘America’ was performed, suggesting they may symbolise the immigrants who came to America from across the world, or perhaps even the wide range of fans that Diamond eventually gained. The David Hockney-style painting flying out of scene when Diamond states that Marcia got all the art in the divorce was one of the few laugh-out-loud moments for the audience.
The music and lyrics in A Beautiful Noise were all written by Neil Diamond, and the book was written by Anthony McCarten. The show was directed by Michael Mayer. A Beautiful Noise was beautifully structured to tell the story in a unique and visually interesting way. The concept of telling the tale from Diamond’s therapy chair was highly effective, made more so by excellent stage direction, such as the opening number ‘Beautiful Noise’, when the ensemble appeared almost magically, a couple at a time, from behind Crawford’s chair. I’m not sure if it was managed simply by exceptional lighting (designed by Kevin Adams) or if some special set item was used, but even though I was watching carefully, I could not see them move into place; the illusion was so tight. This first number so clearly visualised how the scenes would be coming from Diamond’s memories in therapy, which carried on throughout the show.
The band was, as always, an integral part of the show, but was heard but not seen in the first act. In Act 2, a curtain rises to reveal the nine-piece band, including Musical Director Nigel Ubrihien, on scaffolding at the rear of the stage, and they were part of the scene for many of the numbers in the second act. In Act 2, many of the songs are presented as if we were in the audience at one of Diamond’s concerts, which was pulled off very convincingly by Swenson and the ensemble, and gave the audience a varied experience.
If you have ever been a fan of Neil Diamond, this show is a must-see, providing both an insight into his life and the meaning of his music, a musical theatre performance, as well as the experience of attending a Neil Diamond concert in his heyday. I came away with a more profound understanding of the man and his music, his strengths as well as his flaws, which will bring more depth to my enjoyment of his music for years to come.
Images: Jeff Busby
