A Beautiful Noise at the Eccles

Last night I went to the Broadway touring production of A Beautiful Noise at the Eccles Theatre and, even though I consider myself to be a casual fan of Neil Diamond, I really loved it! This is a jukebox musical based on the life and music of Neil Diamond and it uses the framing device of having the present day Neil (Robert Westenberg), who has retired from performing, attend a therapy session at the behest of his wife. He struggles to talk about himself so his psychiatrist (Lisa Renee Pitts) brings out her second-hand copy of The Complete Lyrics of Neil Diamond and has him react to some of his lyrics in order to get him to open up ("A Beautiful Noise"). His songs prompt him to relive key moments from his life as the younger Neil (Nick Fradiani) performs them, including his lonely childhood in Brooklyn as the son of immigrants ("America"), working as a songwriter for other people ("I'm a Believer"), his early days as a performer ("Solitary Man" and "Cracklin' Rosie"), his battle with depression ("Song Sung Blue"), his guilt over an affair ("Cherry, Cherry" and "September Morn'"), the end of his first marriage ("Love on the Rocks"), the pressure for him to continue writing hits ("Hello" and "Sweet Caroline"), his life on the road ("Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show"), the price of fame ("Forever in Blue Jeans"), and the end of his second marriage ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers"). He is forced to reconcile his trauma ("Shilo") and accept that his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease has ended his career ("I am...I  Said") before he is able to express gratitude for his extraordinary life ("Holly Holy"). I really enjoyed the structure because, just like with The Four Seasons in Jersey Boys, Diamond's music was informed by what was happening in his life at the time (both musicals were produced by Bob Gaudio) so it is very effective in driving the narrative forward. The music is amazing and elicited a lot of audience participation, particularly during "Sweet Caroline."  I love the songs "Love on the Rocks" and "Holly Holy" but I was surprised by how many other songs I knew and I had to try really hard not to sing along. The staging is very clever because the ensemble performs as a group called The Noise who appear as background singers and dancers for the young Neil as well as the noise inside the present day Neil's head. The way that both of the Neils interact with each other is very powerful, especially during an incrediby emotional performance of "I Am... I Said," and so is the interaction between Jaye (Tiffany Tatreau) and Marcia (Mary Page Nance) during "Forever in Blue Jeans" because it is as if the first wife is warning the second one of what will eventually happen. Fradiani is amazing in the lead role because, while he sounds so much like Neil Diamond that it is almost uncanny, he is able to differentiate his performance enough so that it is not merely an impersonation. He has tremendous charisma as a performer and you cannot take your eyes off him during the big production numbers in Act II (the sequins may also have something to do with it) but I think his simple acoustic version of "Solitary Man" with just him on the guitar is even more compelling. This is a thoroughly entertaining show and a must-see for fans of Neil Diamond! There are five more performances at the Eccles Theatre (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it.