A BEAUTIFUL NOISE and THE WIZ to Open Broadway in Akron Spring 2027

Playhouse Square announced that tickets for the touring Broadway productions of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical and The Wiz will go on sale Wednesday, October 21, at 10 a.m. As part of the 2026 - 2027 Broadway in Akron series, presented in collaboration with The University of Akron, both shows will take the stage at E.J. Thomas Hall in the spring. 

A Beautiful Noise

Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like "America," "Forever in Blue Jeans," and "Sweet Caroline," an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Neil Diamond's story was made to shine on Broadway-and head out on the road across America.

“Some of my most thrilling nights have been while I was on tour, bringing my music to audiences across the world,” said Neil Diamond. “Having A Beautiful Noise go on tour is an honor and I can't wait for audiences across North America to experience this show. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.”

Like Jersey Boys and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical before it, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is an inspiring, exhilarating, energy-filled musical memoir, that tells the untold true story of how America's greatest hitmaker became a star, set to the songs that defined his career.

The tour is produced by NETworks Presentations. Trinity Wheeler serves as Executive Producer for the production.

The company is led by award-winning music artist Jesse Labelle as 'Neil Diamond – Then'. Alongside Labelle in the principal cast are Stuart Metcalf (Neil Diamond – Now), Claire Marshall (Marcia Murphey), Danie Steel (Doctor), Emma Samuelson (Jaye Posner), Steve Taylor (Fred Weintraub/ Tommy O'Rourke), Stefan Lingenfelter (Bert Berns/Kieve Diamond), Brandy Cheyenne Miller (Ellie Greenwich/Rose Diamond), and country music recording artist Stephen Carey as the standby for 'Neil Diamond – Then'.

Rounding out the company as “The Beautiful Noise” are Evie Becerra, Corey J. Bradford, Jayson Brown, Faith Jordan Candino, Luciano Castaldo, Bella DePaola, Briana Doran (Swing), Robert Bryan Davis (Principal Standby), Sydney Greene (Swing), Jaden Holtschlag (Swing), Nathan Iles (Swing), Lance Jewett, Jaiden Leo Riley, Ellie Roddy (Principal Standby), Victoria Nanami Walker, and Kendal Marie Wilson.

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical will play two performances at E.J. Thomas Hall, March 16 – 17, 2027 as part of the Broadway in Akron series. Curtain for both performances is 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000. Group orders of 10 or more can be placed by calling 216-640-8600.

The Wiz

Fresh off the critically acclaimed success of its landmark 50th Anniversary Tour, The Wiz returns with an exciting new national tour, bringing the groundbreaking musical to audiences from coast to coast. This next chapter continues to celebrate the timeless story, unforgettable music, and electrifying theatrical magic that have inspired generations of theatergoers.

This iconic, culture-defining reimagining of The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway - from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy's journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

Featuring a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls (and others), director Schele Williams (The Notebook), award-winning choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyoncé's “Single Ladies,” Black is King), writer of additional material by Tony-nominated and Emmy-nominated writer and TV host Amber Ruffin (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers”), Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements), Allen René Louis (vocal arrangements, music arrangements), and Emmy Award-winning music director and Grammy Award-winning writer, Adam Blackstone and Terence Vaughn (Dance Music Arrangers) conjure up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop bring a whole new groove to easing on down the road.

The Wiz design team includes scenic design by Academy Award-winning Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Beyoncé's Black is King and Lemonade), costume design by Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated Sharen Davis (Ray, Dreamgirls), lighting design by Barrymore Award-winning Ryan J. O'Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man), sound design by Jon Weston (Parade), video and projection design by Daniel Brodie (Motown the Musical), original wig design by Charles LaPointe (MJ the Musical) and original make-up design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche (The Piano Lesson).

The production also includes 'Everybody Rejoice' music and lyrics by Luther Vandross, as well as the 'Emerald City Ballet' with music by Timothy Graphenreed.

Based on L. Frank Baum's children's book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, The Wiz takes one of the world's most enduring (and enduringly white) American fantasies and transforms it into an all-Black musical extravaganza for the ages.

The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an instant sensation, going on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ted Ross), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Dee Dee Bridgewater), Best Choreography (George Faison), and in a Broadway first, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design (Geoffrey Holder). “Ease on Down the Road” became the show's break-out single, and “Home” has since become a bona fide classic. That original production ran for four years (first at The Majestic Theatre and later at The Broadway Theatre) – and 1,672 performances – on Broadway. A 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor and Lena Horne, and marked Quincy Jones' first collaboration with Michael Jackson. The most recent Broadway revival played from March to August 2024 at the Marquis Theater in NYC and the First National & 50th Anniversary North American tour kicked off in February of 2025 traveling the country until May of 2026 ending in Toledo, Ohio.