Neil Diamond musical coming to Schuster Center

But it won’t let me go

From the song “I Am, I Said” by Neil Diamond

Broadway veteran Bob Westenberg will be coming to Dayton to help tell the story of one of America’s most iconic songwriters and singers, Neil Diamond.

“A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” was created in collaboration with Diamond himself, and will be at the Schuster Center Nov. 28-Dec. 1 as part of Dayton Live’s Broadway in Dayton Series.

It’s the inspirational story of a kid from Brooklyn who became a music icon, writing and singing songs in genres ranging from folk and blues to country and rock. Diamond has sold 120 million albums and created classics that include “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “Sweet Caroline.” He has been inducted into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and performed worldwide over decades.

In 2018 the singer’s life changed dramatically when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was forced to stop touring. When the opportunity came to share his life story via a musical, Diamond insisted the story contain “warts and all.” In “A Letter from Neil” he wrote: “Sitting in the theater and watching the show itself has been therapeutic: reliving some joyful and some of the painful parts of my life.”

Credit: JEREMY DANIEL

Credit: JEREMY DANIEL

Westerberg portrays the aging Neil Diamond (Neil - Now) in the touring musical.

He received a Tony Award nomination for his performance as the Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince in the original Broadway cast of “Into the Woods.” He also appeared on Broadway in the title role in “Sunday in the Park with George,” played Inspector Javert in “Les Misérables,” and originated the role of Dr. Neville Craven in “The Secret Garden.”

Playing the role of the younger Neil Diamond (Neil - Then) is Nick Fradiani who starred in the Broadway production and won the title of American Idol in 2015. Diamond, who is now in his 80s, surprised audiences on opening night by joining them for a sing-along of “Sweet Caroline.”

Dayton Live will have a special performance honoring people living with Parkinson’s with a cast Talk Back and Parkinson’s Foundation representatives after the Friday matinee on Nov. 29.

“Dayton Live is honored to be partnering with the Great Lakes Chapter of the Parkinson’s Foundation during the run of ‘A Beautiful Life,’” said Sue Stevens, vice president of marketing and communications. “We will be promoting the Parkinson’s Foundation throughout the run of the show through the various digital monitors throughout the venue and with a Parkinson’s Foundation table in the lobby with literature and information for our audiences.” The producing team behind the show has raised $750,000 for Parkinson’s.

About bio musicals

Musical theater expert Joe Deer says “A Beautiful Noise” is one of a whole series of shows that have come to Broadway in the past 20 years that focus on the life stories of important pop music personalities. Among the big hits: “Motown” (Berry Gordy); “The Cher Show,” “Beautiful” (Carole King); “Ain’t Too Proud” (The Temptations); “On Your Feet” (Gloria Estefan); and “Jersey Boys” (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons), the first big Broadway pop bio-musical.

“Today it’s rare that a New York season doesn’t offer at least one new biographical musical featuring the proven hits by a pop star of the 1960s, ‘70s or ‘80s,” said Deer, former chair and artistic director of the Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures at Wright State University. He’s the author of two books used in teaching theater across the country: “Acting in Musical Theatre” and “Directing in Musical Theatre.”

Credit: JEREMY DANIEL

Credit: JEREMY DANIEL

Deer said this form of musical was common in films from the beginning of sound pictures in the 1930s and continued through the ‘50s. “But Broadway typically created revues or theatrical collages based on the music of a composer or artist,” he said. “And, of course, the jukebox musical has become a staple of every season, where the songs associated with a singer or particular group are reverse engineered into a story to give some dramatic justification for hearing our favorite oldies.” He said the most successful example is “Mamma Mia!” which is back on the road again and shows no signs of ever slowing down.

Deer said theatrical producers love this kind of musical because they come with built-in hits.

“Audiences are humming the songs before they get to the theater and are rarely disappointed in getting to see and hear the songs they love recreated live every night.”

Meet Bob Westenberg

Bob Westenberg, 71, is onstage through the entire show in the role of Neil - Now. The idea was to frame the show in the context of therapy sessions.

“It requires a lot of concentration all the time,” said the actor. “The premise is that I have been forced by my current wife to talk to a psychiatrist because I’ve been a pain in the butt to live with at home. Reluctantly, the psychiatrist pulls out of me my life story and my issues. As I tell about my life, it starts to come alive dramatically.”

Credit: JEREMY DANIEL

Credit: JEREMY DANIEL

Westerberg, who last toured the country in 2002-2004 in “The Full Monty,” calls this show a memory piece that’s also life-affirming. He said the musical has two audiences – older folks who grew up and have life associations with Neil Diamond and come because they love the songs and younger audiences who may not be as familiar with Diamond’s music and are being introduced to “the stunningly brilliant songwriter, poet and lyricist he is. He always knew how to put a song together to give it maximum power.”

Westerberg has been directing and teaching theater and acting for the past 20 years, and said it has been wonderful to return to the stage.

“It’s an elixir of continuous endorsement of who you are as a human being,” he said. “You get to live life fully on stage and you have a couple thousand people every night living through you and that’s a thrill.”

HOW TO GO

What: “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical”

When: Tuesday, Nov. 26-Sunday, Dec. 1; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 2 and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Schuster Center, 1 W. Second St., Dayton

Tickets: $47-$165

More info: 937-228-3630, daytonlive.org/events/beautiful-noise

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Credit: JEREMY DANIEL

Credit: JEREMY DANIEL