Jay Pateakos

Despite set in the 1960's, The Outsiders could just as well be set in the now. Teenagers rebelling?? Check! Hard to find your place in this world? Huge check! It's a timeless story filled with incredible talent, a stunning stage set, phenomenal effects-the rain scene is just amazing. The Outsiders may just hit all right notes and I strongly encourage all of you to bring your teens along, no matter how much of a pain they are-chances are they've felt what they will see on stage and this musical could deeply impact them as well.

But what the next nearly-three hour performance showed us, anything must be possible on stage because the audience were treated to one hell of a visual spectacle. With a dozen mind-boggling magical and mystical scenes pulled off during this incredible performance, just about everyone in the audience must have thought quietly to themselves, How did they pull THAT off? Yes, you'll be thinking it often...

"A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical" is a near-perfect stroll down memory lane for many of us, a reunification of the songs that made us during times we needed them the most. The production features a remarkable 29 of Diamond's best hits. We may have been robbed of seeing Diamond, 83, ever play again with his 2018 Parkinson's Diagnosis, but this musical brings it all back. You'll marvel at how incredible Fradiani is as Diamond, "Play Me" was a close second to "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" in how Fradiani mastered the Diamond tone. But you'll also love Diamond's journey to stardom and how money isn't everything. Sometimes, we all have to stop running one day. And Diamond didn't learn that lesson too late, which gives all of us hope.

Besides the non-stop comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire packs a huge heart as the family deals with the ramifications from a divorce and the balance of seeing their parents seperately and dealing with their mom's new love interest Stuart Dunmire, played by Leo Roberts. As a divorced dad myself, many of the notes of this musical hit home and no song struck a bigger cord than Miranda's incredibly touching 'Let Go', something many of us struggle with, throughout life.