Review: A BEAUTIFUL NOISE presented by Broadway at The Hobby Center

Neil Diamond is one of the greatest songwriters of our time. His body of work has whirled around me my entire life, and everyone, it seems, can “join in chanting SO GOOD! SO GOOD!” around his signature hit “Sweet Caroline.” He’s a cultural icon and one of the most successful recording artists of all time. And yet, we really don’t know THAT much about him. Diamond has always been private and kept his personal life close to his chest. No tell-all memoirs or a movie biopic. So it’s odd to see that he collaborated with the writers of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE to be the jukebox musical that combines his hits with his life story. We’ve seen similar theatrical treatments for Tina Turner, Cher, and Frankie Valli. A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is a wonderful way to experience your favorite Neil Diamond songs; it’s staged inventively, and the stars of it are on point. But does it really explain anything, and is this really the most interesting story that could be told? You can find out this week through November 9th at the Hobby Center, as A BEAUTIFUL NOISE celebrates the man I always knew as “Jewish Elvis.” 

The conceit of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is that we see the Neil Diamond of today in a therapy session. He has retired from performing due to Parkinson’s Disease (something never really explained in-depth by the script), and together with his therapist, he looks back on his life. His counselor is frustrated by the lack of progress, and so she asks the man about his songs, which sparks a theatrical recreation of Neil Diamond's life, with him observing his younger self. We get to watch along as Diamond goes from Flatbush and Tin Pan Alley to the “number one concert attraction in America, even over Elvis Presley.” Along the way, he marries three times and struggles with reconciling his on-stage persona with his off-stage self. And always looming around him is a group of ten people (credited in the program as THE NOISE) who represent his collective consciousness. 

Neil Diamond is friends with producer Bob Gaudio, who had an incredible hit with his stage biography of Franki Valley called JERSEY BOYS. That’s where all of this began, and Diamond had a lot of say in this show as it evolved. The narrative skips over details like his attendance at high school with Barbra Streisand (they were in choir together!), as well as the more messy aspects of his private life. No flops like the film JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL are mentioned, nor are the years that he didn’t tour to be with his young son. A BEAUTIFUL NOISE seems to make all of his divorces seem completely friendly, and only shows you Neil at the top for all of the running time. He’s always just a nice guy. There are no struggles other than the question of, “If you are such a star, why do you write about loneliness?” and “Why are you not as electric in real life as you are onstage?” His third wife, Katie McNeil, is never even shown on stage. This really isn’t about revelation; it is truly solely for celebration. If you’re a fan, you’ll love A BEAUTIFUL NOISE. If you are not, you may wonder why everyone is here. 

You are here because American Idol winner from 2015, Nick Fradiani, is an electric singer and presence as a young Neil Diamond. Neil may not be able to tour these days, but Nick gets as close as you can to the real thing. He impeccably runs through these numbers as if they were his own, and it is a wonderfully imagined performance. Robert Westenberg plays the present-day Neil, and he also captures some of the Diamond magic, but with the tragic twist that he has lost some of the luster. He acts the heck out of this thing. The chorus around Neil, or “the Beautiful Noise,” is an eclectic mix of performers and dancers who all get a chance to spotlight what they do on one number or another. Hannah Jewel Kohn and Tiffany Tatreau play two of the ex-wives, and they respectively get to deliver some great hits as well. They are both vocal powerhouses and shimmer on the stage even when they are just in blue jeans. The cast is truly solid, and this Equity tour is an amazing assemblage of talent and vocal power. I love this group! 

Michael Mayer’s direction is full of energy, and the staging is truly inventive and well thought out. Costumes and lights are top-notch, and the show is handsome and well-produced. However, the book by Anthony McCarten seems to have too little to say. It just sort of meanders in and out of situations, and a final therapy session at the end of the show is bafflingly long. It feels like it ends more times than it starts. There’s simply no hero moment, no “Tina leaving Ike,” or “Cher charging on after divorcing Sonny,” the life lived here seems pretty plain. And maybe that is what Neil Diamond wants you to know. Ultimately, it is his songs that are the true stars and have the staying power, not his struggles.  

The songs, the cast, and the staging all save this show, but the book brings it down a bit. A BEAUTIFUL NOISE needs a little more drama, a little more angst to really work as a satisfying theatrical experience. But man, hearing these artists bring these songs to life kept me smiling all night long. If you're a fan of Neil Diamond, this is worth it. If you don’t know who he is, you probably won’t know anything more after the curtain call. But the music? It’s “SO GOOD, SO GOOD!” And “I’m a Believer!” in this cast. And just to be reminded of Neil’s immigrant rally cry in “America” seems worth the price of admission.  

Houston Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. BRIGHT STAR (Spark Theater)

7.6% of votes

2. ROCK OF AGES (Standing Ovation Theatre)

6.3% of votes

3. THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (The Sankofa Collective)

5.7% of votes

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