A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at DPAC Is FABULOUS, with Flawless Music and Acoustics

This article was published by Triangle Review on 8 January  2025.

On Tuesday, Jan. 7th, I attended the opening-night performance of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center with my mother-in-law, who experienced Neil Diamond's music as it was released; but I had never been a Neil Diamond fan. Well, I am now.

The story of Diamond's career is told through the context of his long-time therapy sessions. The musical opens on two giant leather chairs with a lone hanging light above them. The Doctor (played by Lisa Reneé Pitts) calmly sits in one chair, while today's Neil Diamond (Robert Westenberg as Neil - Now) alternates between sitting and pacing, while expressing his frustration with the whole concept of therapy, which his wife Katie has asked him to pursue. The Doctor pulls out a book, containing the hundreds of songs that Diamond has written throughout his life and coaxes him to discuss the circumstances that lead to each song.

As they open the book, a chorus of actors called "The Beautiful Noise," perform an impressively euphonic montage of Diamond's hits, and the set changes to a scene from Diamond's past as a struggling songwriter when he was married to his high-school sweetheart Jaye Posner (Tiffany Tatreau). Young Neil (Nick Fradiani as Neil - Then) is in a meeting with his future agent Ellie Greenwich (played by Kate A. Mulligan), which culminates with an ensemble performance of "I'm a Believer," a song recorded by The Monkees in 1966. This is followed by group performances of early songs written by Diamond, including "Red Red Wine" (the British reggae band UB40's signature song), "The Boat That I Row" (recorded by Scottish singer Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, a.k.a. "Lulu"), and "Sunday Sun" (recorded by country-music singer Glen Campbell).

When a recording of Diamond's "Kentucky Woman," sung by Chris Marsh Clark, doesn't meet his expectations, Diamond sings the song himself, thereby starting his career as a performer.

The musical follows Diamond's career from the intimate setting of The Bitter End, New York City's oldest rock-and-roll club, to 5,000+ seater performances as far afield as Sydney, Australia. It's hard to believe that Nick Fradiani isn't lip-syncing, so like Diamond's voice is his powerful yet raw and gritty bass-baritone impersonation. It is no surprise that Fradiani was American Idol's 2015 winner.

Diamond leaves his first wife for Marcia Murphey, who is credited as a driving force behind his stardom. Murphey, who is normally played by Hannah Jewel Kohn, was played on opening night by Ginger Hurley. I can only imagine how good Kohn must be, given Hurley's splendid dancing and vocal talent.

Diamond ends up signing with the mob -- a deal he comes close to paying for with his life. He avoids this by the grace of God, which, he proclaims, gave him the lyrics to his hit song "Sweet Caroline." This enabled him to end his mob contract and embark on his own.

After 25 years of marriage, Neil and Marcia divorce, due to his addiction to performing and perpetual absence from his family, which is embodied in his hit song with Barbra Streisand, entitled "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."

In the second act, Fradiani performs Diamond's signature songs as if on stage at the massive concert venues where he performed. The light show is more dynamic and spectacular than most concerts, and the numerous scene changes are seamless, as are Fradiani's rapid costume changes despite his tight, spangled attire. Scenic designer David Rockwell, lighting designer Kevin Adams, and costume designer Emilio Sosa all deserve loud shout outs, as does sound designer Jessica Paz -- the music and acoustics are flawless.

It's a special treat to see the actual musicians performing on a bottom and second floor behind the translucent screen that forms the backdrop in the second act. I'd have attended the production just to see and hear these talented musicians under the direction of music coordinator John Miller and music director James Olmstead.

Throughout the production, the setting changes intermittently to today's Diamond (Westenberg) and his therapist (Pitts), who discuss the depression that has followed Diamond since childhood and despite his musical fame and fortune. At the end, his therapist asks if he is able to accept his past mistakes and his now non-performing life. He answers by singing "I Am... I Said," an intensely personal song that took Diamond four months to write and that he says "without any question, came from [his] sessions with the analyst."

As the "Letter from Neil" in the program states, "There used to be a stigma around talking about mental health and thankfully through the years, it's become an important and accepted topic of conversation." Diamond's biographical musical reduces this stigma even further, encouraging audience members to seek similar therapy to clear their own persistent rain clouds.

A Beautiful Noise, directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Steven Hoggett, is a fabulous show that is appropriate for the whole family, but get your tickets soon. The remaining shows (through Sunday, Jan 12th) are sure to sell out.