Julie Hanson — Theater Critic

This is also an eye-poppingly beautiful production, as well as being technically amazing. (How did the Phantom just disappear? How did they create that lake? Wait … how did Christine get from her dressing room to the basement so quickly?)

“The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise,” here for a brief run at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, is full of song, dance, drama, and emotion. It is very lively, and occasionally heavy. For that reason, while I wholeheartedly endorse it for any Neil Diamond fan or music lover of a certain age, I can’t really say it’s a good fit for kids.

We left “Girl from the North Country,” the new touring Broadway show now playing at Seattle’s Paramount Theater, feeling mostly baffled and a little bummed out. (We watched the whole thing. A few people left at intermission, and others made a quick getaway between the final number and the curtain call.) What was that show about? What was the point? Why didn’t they take all that talent and just put on a concert instead?