Review: A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL at the Aronoff Center

The highly anticipated Cincinnati debut of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical opened May 6th at the Aronoff Center. Lifelong fans of Diamond’s music flocked downtown to see the theatrically staged rendition of his life story accompanied by all of his major songs. Season 14 American Idol winner Nick Fradiani embodies the young Neil Diamond with an uncanny finesse, taking the audience through the heyday of his career. From the euphoric highs of gaining worldwide admiration, to the devastating lows involving tumultuous relationships and despair, A Beautiful Noise frames itself as a memory play, centered around a present-day Neil Diamond sharing his intense life story with his therapist amidst his Parkinson’s diagnosis. With impeccable performances and a thought provoking narrative, the First National Tour of A Beautiful Noise is well deserved of its praise.

Unlike many biographical jukebox musicals (that are also excellent in their own rights), including Beautiful: A Carole King Musical, On Your Feet!, and Jersey Boys, A Beautiful Noise is based more in reflection rather than a direct story. The older Neil recognizes his mistakes and regrets throughout his past, making it even more difficult for those watching to see how those events impacted his future self. In doing so, the show goes beyond the story and focuses on difficult themes like pressure, loneliness, and imbalance. He may be one of the most popular people in the world, but he’s still just a man trying to recognize his worth as a person rather than a star.

In A Beautiful Noise, Neil Diamond’s story is told beginning at the start of his career in the 1960s and shows his meteoric rise in the music industry, captivating the world with his original songs and his unique voice. As Ellie Greenwich (Kate A. Mulligan), the producer who discovered Diamond, puts it, “like gravel wrapped in velvet.” Nick Fradiani rejoins for the tour, and his expertise is clear as someone who has been with the show since its early days of Boston previews. Initially an alternate, he eventually took over the role full time in the Broadway production in October 2023. He has studied the nuances and mannerisms of Diamond, controlling himself to a degree that makes him an incredible fit to portray this icon, and he has the voice to match.

It was also a huge treat seeing Robert Westenberg in the part of the older Neil Diamond. A Broadway veteran known for his roles in the original casts in Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, and many more over the decades, he brings a graceful yet bitter quality to his Diamond as he observes his own past self, interjecting his thoughts in certain moments. He takes A Beautiful Noise from being a story about Neil Diamond to one exploring the bittersweet permanence of one’s history that has already been written, defined, and witnessed by the masses. He’s an inexplicably lonely dreamer who struggles to balance the highs and lows of his life as he bears a relentless pressure across his existence.

One of the biggest draws of A Beautiful Noise is the musical performances. Fans across several generations get to not only enjoy hits like “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “Cherry, Cherry” in fun ways that fit the contexts of the story, but also learn about the pain that went into “Shiloh” and the desperate circumstances that led to the creation of “Sweet Caroline”. Diamond’s music as a whole has a huge range of emotions behind it, and his massive discography plays a huge factor in his own recorded history and what he was feeling at different times of his life. The talent involved in this production is phenomenal, and it gives justice to this fascinating man. The show gives its audiences a newfound appreciation and perspective on the household name that they may or may not have known much about previously.

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is running at the Aronoff Center through May 18th, 2025. To purchase tickets, visit cincinnatiarts.org or click on the link below. To learn more about the tour as a whole, visit abeautifulnoisethemusical.com.