Review: Neil Diamond Musical A BEAUTIFUL NOISE Arrives at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - Aug 1, 2025
Overall, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE—now on stage at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through August 10, 2025—comes off as guaranteed musical candy for Neil Diamond devotees, thanks to its current form as a polished, tidy, nostalgia-baiting jukebox musical loaded with familiar hits, sprinkles of sparkle, and enough vocal authenticity to make fans of his music swoon. The impressive performances—from the lead vocals to the 'Beautiful Noise' ensemble's hypnotic, lyrical dance moves—bring a measurable level of enjoyment. But as a deep-dive drama? It's, well… just fine. The show's narrative stakes are satisfactory, but a bit paper-thin. While certainly clever in concept, the book often sacrifices real, emotional complexity for palatable, crowd-pleasing moments, and this therapy-session-as-framing-device never truly develops into the kind of character exploration one hopes for in a definitive bio-musical.
Review: A BEAUTIFUL NOISE at Hollywood Pantages Theater
by Cary Ginell - Jul 9, 2025
'Beautiful Noise' is a better-than-average jukebox musical about the career of superstar singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, presented as an aged Diamond goes through psychoanalysis with a therapist.
Review: A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL at Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
by Jarrod Michael - Apr 30, 2025
Neil Diamond’s voice may no longer fill the world’s largest arenas, but his music’s enduring warmth and lyrical intimacy found a new home onstage in A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. This biographical jukebox musical is more than simply a greatest-hits concert; it paints a vibrant and reflective picture of an artist whose music is the heartbeat of many American lives. Framed through the lens of a fictionalized therapy session, the show weaves Diamond’s introspective journey with a set list of beloved classics, from the infectious and iconic “Sweet Caroline” to the aching vulnerability of “I Am… I Said.”