Interview: Ramsey Pack of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE at Broadway At The Hobby Center

Ramsey Pack is coming to Houston to be part of the tour of the Neil Diamond musical A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, which runs November 2nd through the 9th as part of the Broadway at the Hobby Center series. It's a musical about the life of Neil Diamond. It was created in collaboration with Neil himself, and of course, all of those hit songs —“Sweet Caroline,” “America,” “Cracklin' Rosie” — all of your favorites will be sung. BROADWAY WORLD writer Brett Cullum got a chance to talk with Ramsey, and they broke down the show and their favorite songs in it. 

Brett Cullum: First up, tell me about the show. I mean, obviously, it's a Neil Diamond biography, jukebox musical type thing?

Ramsey Pack: Yes, all of the above, and it's this really beautiful experience to Neil Diamond's life, where, prior to this piece, interestingly enough, we really haven't had much of his material. Like, he doesn't have a book or a movie out, or didn't at the time that the musical was created. It's a truly beautiful experience to see into Neil Diamond's world, to learn about how he created his music, his upbringing in the music industry, and his personal life.

Brett Cullum: Well, I really don't know that much about Neil Diamond personally. I mean, I did some digging on the Wikipedia page, and that was interesting. I'll be very excited to see this show, because I stole Neil Diamond albums from my parents and listened to them all the time, and I just kind of always thought of him as “a Jewish Elvis” or something. 

Ramsey Pack: I love that. There's a line in the show that's actually… it touches on that, that's so beautiful.

Brett Cullum: How funny. Now, you play a character called The Noise? What is the noise? 

Ramsey Pack: Yes, that is correct. So, the noise is this abstract representation of what's going on in Neil Diamond's mind, and what's wonderful is that we, as the noise, bring to life his psyche, in a way. So, we get to see the inner workings of Neil Diamond as he actively goes through his journey of becoming Neil Diamond.

Brett Cullum: This sounds very conceptual. Not what I expected. I'm gonna be very interested to see how this works out. Now, this is your first national equity tour, so how has it been being on tour? Because this is your first tour, or just your first equity tour?

Ramsey Pack: Both. So, it's my first tour, and it's also my first Equity National Tour. It's been such a wonderful learning experience, as we're constantly visiting different theaters, so you really get to experience it firsthand. How a sound check goes in a theater that may have been built in the 1950s versus one that's very new and modern, with all the different amenities. It's been really cool because it's helped me not only sharpen my skills as a performer but also connect with all these different audiences, beyond the ones we're exposed to or that I have been exposed to in New York. Or, in the tri-state area.

Brett Cullum: Is that where you're, you reside? Are you from New York? Where do you live?

Ramsey Pack: Yes, I am from New York. I'm from Long Island, New York. I was born and raised in Gordon Heights, and I'm very familiar with the city as well. My upbringing was spent between Long Island and the city, specifically Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Brett Cullum: It always happens when you're that close. I think New York City just sucks you in. You know, it's just, like, natural. So, were you a Neil Diamond fan before this? Were you aware of Neil Diamond?

Ramsey Pack: I was very aware of Neil Diamond, unknowingly. I feel like… and I've heard this from audience members as well, where they have heard, or rather, they hear the music in the show, and then afterwards are like, “Wait, that's a Neil Diamond song?” They're familiar with the music, and so that was my experience. I would often listen to my grandmother just playing records. Often, she would just, like, play them throughout the house, and Neil Diamond was one of the artists that she would play that I wasn't aware of until starting this contract, and was like, “Oh, snap, I remember hearing this!” So that was really cool.

Brett Cullum: That's amazing. Do you have a favorite song in the show?

Ramsey Pack: I would say “Play Me” is my favorite song in the show. It's such a lovely piece; I feel like it's probably not the hot pick, but the instrumentation is lovely. It's just this very swoony type of song, and our background vocals are a perfect addition to the moment as well.

Brett Cullum: Oh, wow. Well, I'm excited to hear it. That's definitely… that's a deep dive. That's a deep cut, so that'll be interesting. What's your favorite role been so far? I know you've been doing theater for a while, and I’ve read your bio, but do you have a favorite role, other than being the noise behind Neil Diamond?

Ramsey Pack: I would say my favorite role thus far, probably, Papa Ge in ONCE ON THIS ISLAND. That was one of the most fun roles that I've played. To play the villain and do something that's more outside my wheelhouse and comfort zone was awesome.

Brett Cullum: Anytime you get to be the villain, it's amazing. 

Ramsey Pack: Yeah. They're written well, you know? It's just so much to dive into and to bring to life, and so, yeah, it was awesome. It was so much fun.

Brett Cullum: Now, you were a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, right? You went there for drama. How did you get into acting? Was it something that you did all your life? 

Ramsey Pack: Well, in a way, I feel it found me. I have been performing since I was little, and I was raised up singing in churches. And I remember singing in chorus one day, and my chorus teacher in junior high was like, “Hey, Ramsay, have you ever thought about trying out for the musical in high school? I'm gonna be, like, music directing, I think you should try.” And I was like, “Hey, you know what? I'm gonna try.” And so, in high school, in the 9th grade, I had auditioned for the musical. At that time, it was kismet. At that moment, I knew it was my calling. It was so clear.

Brett Cullum: You're gonna bring a lot of clarity to Houston by playing the Noise and bringing in Neil Diamond music, so there you are. A BEAUTIFUL NOISE starts on November 4th and plays through the 9th. You can catch Ramsey Pack in it, and on Instagram at “ramseypack.” 

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