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Please submit your memoriam ad to memoriams@pioneerpress.com or call 651-228-5280.
It certainly was a choice that playwright Anthony McCarten used “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” to portray the much-loved superstar behind the songs as an absolute jerk.
But that’s what happens in the touring Broadway show, which runs through Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.
McCarten framed his take on Diamond’s life and career on an uneasy therapy session with an aged Diamond (Robert Westenberg) who has stopped performing and who has absolutely no interest in discussing his past, his career or his music. Still, his crafty, unnamed therapist (Lisa Renee Pitts) pulls out a book of Diamond’s lyrics and, eventually, gets the musician talking.
Between scenes of that session, we learn how Diamond rose from obscurity to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. Famed Brill Building songwriter Ellie Greenwich (Kate A. Mulligan) takes a chance on Diamond and guides him from writing bubblegum pop for others to performing his own, more serious songs.
Along the way, we meet Diamond’s childhood sweetheart and mother of two daughters Jaye (Tiffany Tatreau) and his second wife and mother of two sons Marcia (Hannah Jewel Kohn), who helps urge him out of his shell and, later, leave his first wife. Diamond’s third and current wife, Katie, who is nearly three decades younger than him, barely gets mentioned and is not portrayed on the stage.
One of the problems with the script is that Jaye and Marcia are paper thin characters who don’t get much development beyond sweet and innocent (Jaye) and ambitious homewrecker (Marcia). That said, the latter does get a moment to shine with her rendition of “Forever in Blue Jeans.”
We also meet Bert Berns (Michael Accardo), himself a songwriter and head of the mobbed-up Bang Records, who convinces the young Diamond to sign a crooked contract with the promise of artistic freedom. A significant chunk of the first act is dedicated to this ill-fated move, which is wrapped up in a flash, with Berns ripping said contract to pieces. That move seems to suggest Diamond got out of the deal thanks to his sheer awesomeness when the reality is that he had a great lawyer.
“American Idol” champion Nick Fradiani mostly pulls off his portrayal of Diamond. For the first few numbers, he struggled to replicate Diamond’s unique vocals while also carefully enunciating in the Broadway fashion. But he eventually warmed into it and was convincing enough during showcase numbers like “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show,” “America” and “Cherry, Cherry.” (At one point, for no real reason, he took his shirt off to reveal tight abs that had the boomer ladies in the crowd clapping and swooning.)
“A Beautiful Noise” takes place on a relatively sparse set, but inventive staging, costumes and lighting design bring life to the proceedings, as does the diverse chorus of 10 performers. Songs like “Sweet Caroline” and “Holly Holy” crackle with the energy of Diamond’s own concerts.
But Diamond’s gloomy spirit and supposed self-doubt undermine the fun. The therapy scenes drag on too long and come to an absurd climax when Diamond makes a murky breakthrough thanks to his song “I Am… I Said,” the chorus of which reveals that Diamond thinks chairs have the ability to listen to humans.
“A Beautiful Noise” works best if you ignore the morose stuff and focus on the songs, which are the true star of this show.
‘A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical’
When: Through Sunday
Where: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis
Tickets: $235.80-$59 via hennepinarts.org
Capsule: Diamond’s music shines, even if his own story does not.