Broadway at its Best: A Beautiful Noise

Sep 20, 2023 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston, Two Sues on the Aisle

 A Beautiful Noise is the ultimate theater experience that left us singing tunes written by Neil Diamond, a Jewish boy from Flatbush who became a music legend. The show is presented as a series of therapy sessions with Diamond, initially reluctant to speak with his therapist (masterfully played by Alex Hairston) until she begins to explore the lyrics and connects with Diamond through his music. She flips through a massive anthology of Diamond’s songs (most of which she is unfamiliar with) that spans his six-decade career, each song exploring a portion of his life.

Though Diamond is remembered as a flamboyant performer, parading on stage in tight pants and an open shirt, he was a quiet, almost reclusive youth with an imaginary friend. Therapy seems to help Diamond come to terms with his past, and find his way forward.

The show is semi-biographical, as Diamond was forced to seek counseling at the insistence of his wife Katie, when his career was cut short due to health issues from Parkinson’s disease. Diamond, currently age 82, is a living legend, and an inspiration.

Simple Beginnings

Diamond stumbled upon his gift for music after his parents gave him a guitar, and began to compose songs, in the style of Pete Seeger. He started his career writing songs for other performers including “I’m a Believer” performed by the Monkeys. Everything changed when songwriter/producer Ellie Greenwich discovered his ability to sing as well as write songs. She urged Diamond to sing his own music. He reluctantly performed but quickly found the affirmations from the crowd addictive, a rush, that changed him from a guitar player dressed all in black into a gregarious sequined performer.

Diamond was driven to perform and spent long periods of time on the road. This led to the downfall of two marriages, each was commemorated in a song. The dissolution of his first marriage with “Love on the Rocks.” He wrote “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” when his second marriage fell apart.

The Performance

Though Diamond’s music career began in the 1960s, through his therapy sessions the show explores his childhood in Brooklyn, looking to discover the source of his discontent. Act One focuses on his early music, and his earlier performances, as Diamond explores the exhilaration he gets from performing. When he is performing, Diamond assumes a different persona, larger and more visible.

The Second Act presents the successful, sequined, post-1960s concerts. His life is a roller-coaster ride full of unexpected outcomes; professional success, amid family failures including two broken marriages. Diamond is obsessed with fame, performing before larger audiences, and releasing more music.

As the older ‘present-day’ Diamond speaks with his therapist, he conjures up his youthful self. Diamond is played by two spectacular actors“Neil Then” (charismatic Mark Jacoby) and older gravely “Neil Now” (Nick Fradiani). Both performers are spectacular, belting out the classics of their generation, transforming the stage of the Broadhurst Theater into a quasi-concert, and engaging the audience to sing along.

Connections

Diamond’s music was based on his life, both sets of Diamond’s grandparents were immigrants, from Russia and Poland. He wrote the song America for the 1980 movie The Jazz Singer, the story of a Jewish man who defied his father to become a singer. This song has become a tribute to immigrants coming to America (even in the movie), distancing it from Diamond’s ancestors’ escape for religious freedom.

Far
We’ve been traveling far
Without a home
But not without a star.

Diamond wrote so many memorable songs about his past including Shilo, his imaginary friend.

Shilo, when I was young
I used to call you name
When no one else would come
Shilo, you always came
And we’d play.

And Brooklyn Roads about his childhood in Brooklyn

Two floors above the butcher
First door on the right
Life filled to the brim
As I stood by my window
And I looked out of those
Brooklyn Roads

Of course, you can’t forget the classics, “Sweet Caroline” is a timeless tune, as is “Song Sung Blues” everybody knows them and can sing along. We were surprised by how many hit songs came from Neil Diamond.

A Beautiful Noise is a show about music and its creator, the man who devoted his life to pleasing his audience.  It was an evening of non-stop songs, as each piece brought back memories for Diamond as well as the audience. A Beautiful Noise shows how one man shaped a generation, filling the world with songs, and good times.

Experience the magic of Broadway. Leave the theater singing.

*****

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) to see the play, show, film, book, or exhibit being reviewed. 

A Beautiful Noice received a 5 Challah rating