Review: THE NOTEBOOK at The National Theatre
Guided by a sweeping score, the beloved story is somehow even more impactful in musical form.
Very few aspects of existence are concurrently unequivocal and beyond our control – the passage of time being the most existential of the bunch. For better or worse, each passing day will become a new year, despite any and all earthly behavior. Time has never been and will never be ours, but what we do with it invariably is. The Notebook at The National Theatre remarkably utilizes Allie & Noah’s lifelong love as an emotional smokescreen for the underlying calamity, time. Guided by a sweeping score (Ingrid Michaelson), the beloved story is somehow even more impactful in musical form.
The Notebook began its life as a 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks. Shortly after, it rose to radical popularity due to a film adaptation notorious for the palpable chemistry between stars Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. Through the years, the story transformed into a classic noted for its sob-inducing portrayals of the realities of a lifetime of love. Its shift to the stage began in 2019 in the form of a workshop at Vassar College with Vanessa Hudgens reading as Allie. Three years of development later, The Notebook held its world premiere in Chicago to rave reviews. In early 2024 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, the production made its Broadway debut, running for just under a year and garnering three Tony nominations.
Now on its North American Tour, The Notebook maintains much of what made its previous runs prosper while meticulously trimming unnecessary fat. Like the film, the musical follows Noah and Allie through three distinct periods – innocent love, reconciliation, and loss as a consequence of time. From fateful teenage adoration all the way through their final living moments together, this story showcases a simple love story for the ages.
Where the stage show departs, however, is baked into a genius device only believably functional in the theatrical realm. The entirety of these joint lifetimes are simultaneously framed through the triadic perspectives of three Noahs and Allies at each stage, with separate sets of actors embodying each. Though the older pair are the primary drivers, maintaining a nearly continuous presence on stage as Noah reads to a struggling Allie, the younger and middle duos suitably peek in for the same purpose. This intertwined continuity allows for an emotional perspective emphasizing the soul-stirring nature of the show.
Aside from this distinguishing device, Bekah Brunstetter’s book moves at a pace that feels surprisingly quicker than the film due to the stories’ interwoven nature. It finds equilibrium in dealing with weighty topics such as loss and dementia, often following a heavy scene up with a moment of quippy brevity. The story’s fabric is seamlessly lined by Ingrid Michaelson's lush music and piercing lyricism, artfully stylized to differentiate each era from the others. Nonetheless, the vocal stamina necessitated by Michaelson’s score is a nearly insurmountable bar not often met by this tour cast despite best efforts.
Even so, the crux of The Notebook is never lost amidst a chorus of stifled sobs and sniffles throughout the audience commencing halfway through the first act (prepare for “I Wanna Go Back” in particular). Each couple in the triad exhibits a uniquely vital chemistry, where the young pair (Makena Jackson & Kyle Mangold) is blissfully ignorant, the middle duo (Alysha Deslorieux & Ken Wulf Clark) is hungrily passionate. Clark’s gritty portrayal of Middle Noah particularly accentuates this change. Still, the enduring genuine nature of the love evidently encapsulating the older portrayals (Yassmin Alers & Beau Gravitte), clearly communicates the heart of this show.
The Notebook’s well-documented technical pinnacle is found in the form of Middle Noah & Allie caught in a storm, with rain pouring around them. This marvel, in tandem with ambience-setting lighting (Ben Stanton) and consistent costuming (Paloma Young), ropes audiences into the universe Michael Greif and Schele Williams (co-directors) have fabricated. As for David Zinn & Brett J. Banakis’ scenic design, it’s simple on the surface, but a deeper look reveals cohesion with the show’s omnipresent framing device.
In all iterations, The Notebook strikes a chord with audiences. Perhaps the agony of the inevitable in love’s uphill battle with time hits a little too close to home. As a musical, that chord’s echo is magnified in a way only music can – even slight vocal missteps cannot dull this effect. This is a show that sticks with you, even if at an existential crisis level. So if you’re in need of a good cry, see The Notebook at DC’s National Theatre.
Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission.
Recommended for ages 13 and up with adult themes. Includes depictions of late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
The Notebook runs until August 30, 2026 at The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20004.
Photo by Roger Mastroianni.
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