By: Eleni Dimitrakos | Staff Writer
“Where it began, I can’t begin to know when / But then I know it’s growing strong.”
The opening lines of the notoriously iconic song “Sweet Caroline” encapsulate the experience Neil Diamond had when writing this song. Truthfully, I only knew a couple of his songs, but attending this performance changed all of that. Launching their National Tour in Providence from Sept. 21-28 was the Neil Diamond Musical A Beautiful Noise. It was based on the book by Anthony McCarten, directed by Michael Mayer and created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself.
My mom flew out from California to visit me for the weekend, and we were lucky enough to see the show up in Providence for its final night. This emotional, captivating musical was about the rock idol’s life and career. Neil Diamond, born and raised in Brooklyn, became an icon of American rock, writing, composing, singing. Some of his classic hits include “Sweet Caroline,” “America” and “Forever In Blue Jeans.”
It was held at the Providence Performing Arts Center and, as a first-time visitor to the venue, I found the theater stunning. A gorgeous stage accompanied by spacious, high seating; this theater was opened in 1928. The detailed ceiling and ornately carved walls created a warm, welcoming, awe-inspiring feel. I remember commenting to my mom “When did humans stop creating architecture like this?”
Looking around, I realized that I was most likely the youngest person in the audience. Elderly folks in their 70s and potentially 80s filled the seats and it was an emotional experience to see them all crowd together in eagerness. It added an authentic feel to the show, reminding me that this isn’t just a fun, fictional story, but someone’s real life that genuinely impacted people. These people grew up with Neil Diamond and his songs; some of them may have even seen him perform live. What a lovely thing it was to have an older couple sit next to me and watch their weathered hands be filled with joie-de-vivre once more—tapping on their legs to the beat of songs, holding each other’s free hands, and nodding their heads to the tune. Music is such a vital part of humanity, and it can be a cornerstone and foundation of relationships. It doesn’t take much to make me cry, I will admit, but this scene caused tears to well up in my eyes.
The show starred Nick Fradiani as young Neil Diamond and Robert Westenberg as current Neil. It begins with current Neil in a therapy session. The entirety of the show follows this path of portrayal; Neil in a therapy session, reminiscing about his life through his songs and having them presented to us as the musical itself, featuring “young” Neil. We see him go through his life battling anxiety, depression, three different romances, and a deal gone wrong with the mob. His therapist presented him a book of all his songs to get him to show vulnerability. The second he opened the book, the music began. The opening number was a mashup of his biggest hits. As they all appeared in the mashup, extras and dancers “emerged” from the book and surrounded Neil, representing his memories flooding back. It was interesting to watch the duality of having an older version of Neil get lost in his own story, “watching” his younger self go through life while developing his career and relationships, and then get pulled out by his therapist. His therapist would often notice him “go somewhere,” and she was even depicted becoming drawn in by Neil’s stories as if she were there.
The soundtrack of the show consisted entirely of Neil’s own songs used as transitional songs, plot developers, and even in the context they were created. “Sweet Caroline,” for example, was created at what was shown as one of the lowest points of his life. He had left home to escape a record deal he had made with the mob (though he didn’t know it at the time). Pacing around in an old motel room in Tennessee, struggling to create any sort of song for his new start, Neil was spiraling. He was stuck in this room staring at a page void of lyrics and no semblance of a tune. Suddenly, like a ray of sunshine in the middle of a snowstorm, he noticed the feature article on the cover of a magazine, the name of a model in that magazine, and put together a chord progression he had never fathomed before. It hadn’t been stated what song this was up until this point, but when those first few notes were played in that moment, I turned to my mom and excitedly whispered, “This must be ‘Sweet Caroline.’” Not even a few moments later, the backing track faded in and he began singing probably one of the most universally known and interactive songs I have heard of.
Everyone in the audience immediately recognized the tune and lyrics and were swaying in their seats. During the chorus, the lights changed on the audience and brightened, signaling that we were welcome to participate. And participate we did. Everyone sang the well-known “BUM BUM BUM” and “SO GOOD, SO GOOD!” Once more, I found myself crying; we were all part of a collective experience and by each of us participating, we made it special not only for each other, but for the actors as well. After all, an actor’s performance is dependent in part on the energy of the audience. The closing bows were also set to “Sweet Caroline,” and this time, everyone stood up and was singing along the entire time. The energy was electric.
Aside from the songs and audience, the technical aspects of the show were incredible as well. The costumes were era-appropriate and symbolic of Neil’s character as he grew and developed within the industry. The set was simplistic yet impactful, and the lighting was unique, providing a special sensation to highlight the special circumstances of Neil’s career development while also creating a feel for the time-period. Fradiani was extremely talented in his portrayal of a young Neil. Not only did he look very similar to Neil at the time, but his voice was practically spot-on.
For the next week or so, the show will be in Cleveland, Ohio, to continue its national tour. They will land in other cities such as St. Louis, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit, amongst others. Overall, the symbolism portrayed through choreography, costumes, and the use of Neil’s songs as the soundtrack propelled the story forward, tugged on our heartstrings, and engulfed my attention. If you can see A Beautiful Noise, I truly recommend it; you will learn so much about Neil Diamond, and you’ll fall down a rabbit hole of his music. I know I did.
Photos and video provided by Eleni Dimitrakos.
