“A Beautiful Noise” is Great Entertainment, But Poor Art
Will Swenson as Neil Diamond in "A Beautiful Noise.” I Courtesy of "A Beautiful Noise"
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.
Following the success of jukebox musicals such as “Jersey Boys” (The Four Seasons), “Aint’ Too Proud” (The Temptations), “Tina” (Tina Turner), and “The Cher Show” (Cher), which tell the life story of a songwriter through their own music and lyrics, Neil Diamond is up next on Broadway with “A Beautiful Noise,” a summation of his struggles with marriage, loneliness and success as told through his large collection of music. Jukebox musicals capitalize on the existing fanbase of the artist to draw in fans for a night of nostalgia and familiar music, but these shows have had varying degrees of success with forming a compelling narrative arc and using the music to drive that narrative. Directed by Michael Mayer, “A Beautiful Noise” falters artistically with that narrative arc.
Diamond is a struggling artist in Brooklyn, New York who meets a producer interested in his song, “I’m a Believer.” He then gets a job performing at a small venue in Brooklyn where he falls in love with the thrill of performing to a crowd. He also falls in love with an employee, Marcia, at the venue. Already married, Neil’s affair with Marcia destroys his first marriage as he signs his first record deal and his career begins to take off. Once his shady record deal begins to hold him back, he is given a chance to tear up his contract if he writes the label three hit songs. He moves to Memphis and writes two songs, the third eluding him. Finally, inspiration strikes and Diamond writes his iconic hit, “Sweet Caroline.” All of this history is narrated by an older Neil Diamond, in a captivating performance by Mark Jacoby. This narration, and indeed the entire show, takes place within the context of a therapy session as his therapist (another standout performance from Linda Powell) helps him come to terms with his inability to perform anymore due to Parkinson’s disease. “I’m told I’ve become difficult to live with,” Diamond tells her. “Have you?” She asks him. “I don’t know.”
The life of Neil Diamond on stage is rather boring and cliché. It has heartfelt moments and just enough conflict to keep you interested, but none of the people who live alongside Diamond get enough stage time to flesh out their characters. That seems a shame because the cast of “A Beautiful Noise” is talented. The few characters who are allowed to shine give memorable performances. Jacoby and Powell share wonderful chemistry as their patient-doctor friendship builds throughout the show. Will Swenson’s performance as a younger Neil Diamond is impressive but is overshadowed by the vocal performance from Robyn Hurder as his second wife, Marcia.
The musical’s biggest problem is how it makes use of Diamond’s music to contribute to the story. Presumably to satisfy Neil Diamond fans paying to relive the hits they fell in love with in the 70s and 80s, nearly every musical number follows the same recipe. At a moment of emotional tension in the show, one of the main characters starts singing a song that loosely connects to the plot. Then, once the chorus hits all of the scenery moves off the stage, the band cranks up the energy, the lights start flashing and the ensemble comes out to deliver a live concert rendition of a hit song.
This routine gives away the point of “A Beautiful Noise.” This is a show created for Neil Diamond fans, by Neil Diamond fans. The musical isn’t meant to be deep or profound, it’s meant to be fun and nostalgic. In that, it most definitely succeeds.
A Beautiful Noise is currently running at the Broadhurst Theatre.
Eli Johnson is the Theatre Columnist for the Empire State Tribune. He is a freshman at The King's College majoring in Business. He is an avid theatre-goer and always enjoys a game of chess.