Pantages Theatre
It’s a given that most theatre critics are consistently sour on what has become known as “jukebox” musicals—huge, grandly glitzy, even possibly intentionally sterile productions mounted with cashcow commercial success and a future open run in Vegas as the main goal.
I have become far less fault-finding about such presentations, particularly because they thrill audiences and bring the butts of a lot of people who wouldn’t usually attend live theatre into the seats. Besides, I have a special affection for the blatant overindulgence of Vegas, a place where I once spent a lot of time when writing a monthly column about entertainment in Sin City for a national magazine.
Without much deeper thought, I expected the national tour of A Beautiful Noise, now playing at the Pantages, to fall into that category and simply be a traditional “And-Then-I-Wrote” musical featuring the songs and exploring the life story of Neil Diamond. I was resigned to that, especially since reviews in New York were generally mixed.
Indeed, there’s no doubt the Noise-y production numbers could not be more flashy and resplendent—especially as staged by choreographer Stephen Hoggett, creator of the movement in the last tenant of this same theatre, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, so good it nearly overshadowed the show’s jaw-dropping special effects.
I basically loved just about every aspect combined to create A Beautiful Noise, which almost instantly transcends the dreaded jukebox distinction. Anthony McCarten’s book for the musical begins quietly with Diamond in his retirement years (Robert Westenberg), alone onstage uncomfortably seated opposite a psychotherapist (Lisa Renee Pitts, so memorable in The Father at Pasadena Playhouse a few seasons back) and wishing he could be anywhere else on earth. The infamously insular superstar is there not by his own choice but instead is sitting through what he sees as an agonizing invasion of his privacy at the insistence of his wife Katie.
When the doctor hesitantly mentions the constant companionship of Diamond’s woe-is-me dark cloud of a demeanor, he quickly snaps back, “But what if woe is me?”
As the patient shrink tries valiantly to keep him from bolting, she finds a perfect tool to get the guy to open up: a secondhand copy of a book called The Complete Lyrics of Neil Diamond. As she opens the massive coffee-table-sized tome and starts reading off some of the poetry that, along with a voice once described as “gravel wrapped in velvet,” helped make him a legend, this new intrusion into his fiercely guarded psyche is definitely not something that makes her victim any more comfortable about having his head shrunk. Still, as it all unfolds, the world of the songwriter’s 60-year career begins to come alive all around them. Literally.
To say Diamond’s incredibly prolific body of work takes on a life of its own would be a drastic understatement. Suddenly the stage opens up with 20-something extremely talented triple-threat performers inexplicably popping out from the back of Diamond’s leather chair and, looming behind them, a dynamic 10-piece band appears—all joined together to explore the music and life of one of our time’s most successful and historically melancholy musicmakers.
The scene work recalling pivotal moments in Diamond’s life rises above the usual musical theatre romanticized fluff versions of actual events; nothing is glamorized in telling the story of a man who, besides fame, fortune, and the admiration of millions, never was able to shake off a lonely childhood and a lifelong struggle with depression and self-worth.
In the musical numbers, however, none of the razor-dazzle of Broadway is overlooked or underutilized. David Rockwell’s uber-flashy neon-infused sets, Kevin Adams’ extraordinarily dramatic lighting, and particularly the seat-shaking sound design of Jessica Paz, fills the Pantages as never before—not an easy task considering the majestic one-time movie house’s longtime acoustical challenges.
Under the smooth and imaginative direction of celebrated Tony-winning director Michael Mayer, A Beautiful Noise might have been mounted with profits as a motive for its creation, but that’s nowhere near what it accomplishes.
Perhaps inspired by the equally raw and revealing Jersey Boys before it, the conflicted private life of an icon who has sold some 130 million albums worldwide—surpassing even Elvis—is not glossed over in any way and becomes the surprisingly compelling takeaway from this production.
In the demanding role of the younger Diamond, Nick Fradiani offers a marathon performance. Hardly ever leaving the stage except for frequent costume and wig changes, he plays the singer/songwriter from his hermetically sealed teen years through his early days trying to hawk his wares around Tin Pan Alley, then on through an early “ownership” by the Mob, three marriages, and the breakneck pace of an incomparable career touring the world with a compulsion to escape unhappiness by never stopping.
Fradiani, the 2015 American Idol winner, proves himself to not only be a phenomenal performer, but if you close your eyes and just listen to him sing, you’d swear Diamond himself was calling in the vocals from his home near Aspen—which he actually did for the Pantages’ opening night, by the way, joining in for a rousing finale of the classic “Sweet Caroline.”
You know: Bum-Bum-BAH and all that.
Both Hannah Jewel Kohn and Tiffany Tatreau have memorable moments and breakout solos playing his long-suffering former wives, while Kate A. Mulligan as a crusty Brill Building music producer with a heart of gold steals the show at her every turn.
Although at first Westerberg seemed a tad one-note as the older Diamond, his performance delicately blossoms and enrichens as the story unfolds and his character begins to find a well-deserved sense of peace.
Interestingly, it’s not often that the most compelling thing about a musical production is the work of the ensemble but here, the 10 sensational young artists who make up what the program calls “The Beautiful Noise” become the heart of the production.
Usually a musical’s chorus/dancing ensemble is made up of long-legged, physically uniform Barbie and Ken clones, but not here. As though assembled by Susan Stroman, these folks aren’t your standard gypsy “types” by any means, but they all move and sing and act without missing a beat.
The band, led by keyboardist James Olmstead, is also a tremendous asset, with a huge shoutout to Morgan Parker for some mighty impressive drumming.
No matter how entertaining or lavishly produced a musical may be, it’s not often in my life I can say one of them changed my perspective as clearly as this. I must admit, although some people who know my music business background during the golden age of rock might find it surprising, an appreciation for Neil Diamond was never on the top of my list.
Although for me personally Neil was always a sweet and humble guy to run into during the days when the biggest celebrities on the planet frequented our Troubadour “front bar” as a place where they could hang out unbothered by fans and paparazzi, my tastes always were more about Joplin wailing the blues and an infinity for the Birkenstock-sandaled Lookout Mountain crowd.
My problem was always his delivery, the sequins and fringe and a penchant to stage a show that rivaled the over-produced pizzazz of Liberace.
I certainly enjoyed the precisionally-produced musical excess and fine performances delivered in A Beautiful Noise, but what I will remember most dearly is how it changed my perception of the artist it honors. Thanks to the unexpected depth of Anthony McCarten’s script, the infectious catchiness of Neil Diamond’s music and the genius of his lyrics suddenly superseded the hype and made me understand for the first time that this guy, with his sparkly over-the-top Evel Kneviel wardrobe and extravagant production values, was desperately trying to hide the lonely, broken kid from Brooklyn still crying out from inside.