# A Beautiful Noise (musical)

A Beautiful Noise is a jukebox musical based on the life and music of Neil Diamond. It opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on December 4, 2022. It grossed more than $1 million at the box office in the week leading up to its Broadway premiere.
Titled for Diamond's 1976 album of the same name, A Beautiful Noise was written by Anthony McCarten and produced by Ken Davenport and Bob Gaudio. The musical is structured around a series of therapy sessions during which Diamond reacts to his lyrics as they are read by his psychiatrist from a second-hand copy of The Complete Lyrics of Neil Diamond. In a June 19, 2022 interview with The Boston Globe McCarten said: “She opens the book, and all 60 years of his songwriting and all that exploration pours out into a majestic musical collage, and once unloosed from the book, the songs take on lives of their own."

## Production history
### Boston (2022)

The show had its world premiere at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston in June 2022. Diamond and his wife, Katie McNeil Diamond, attended the opening in Boston. Will Swenson portrayed Diamond (then); Diamond (now) was played by Mark Jacoby. Robyn Hurder played Diamond's second wife, Marcia, and Linda Powell portrayed The Doctor.

### Broadway (2022–2024)

In late 2022, A Beautiful Noise opened on Broadway with Swenson, Jacoby, Hurder and Powell reprising their Boston roles. The full Broadway cast included Jessie Fisher as Jaye Posner, Tom Alan Robbins as Bert Berns and Kieve Diamond, Bri Sudia as Ellie Greenwich and Rose Diamond, and Michael McCormick as Fred Colby and Tommy O’Rourke. The show began previews on November 2, 2022 at the Broadhurst Theatre and formally opened on December 4, 2022. Diamond led an unannounced sing-along of "Sweet Caroline" on opening night.
With ticket sales "up and down" during the preceding months, the show's producers announced in February 2024 that A Beautiful Noise would end its Broadway run on 30 June 2024. It had grossed more than $63 million when the announcement was made.

### North American tour (2024-2025)

The touring cast includes Nick Fradiani (returning as Neil Diamond - Then), Robert Westenberg (Neil Diamond - Now), Hannah Jewel Kohn (Marcia Murphey), and Lisa Renee Pitts (Doctor).
A North American tour began at the Providence Performing Arts Center on September 21, 2024; it was the most succssful tour launch in Providence's history. The tour recouped its investment in five months.

## Reception

Reviews of A Beautiful Noise on Broadway were mixed. Elizabeth Vincentelli wrote in the New York Times that the musical was both "timid" and an "ambitious, often rousing, occasionally heavy-handed biographical show". She praised Swenson's performance but criticized the narrative framework and the overall depiction of Diamond as "morose." A positive review in the New York Daily News predicted that the show would be a "box-office hit". In Variety, A.D. Amorosi wrote: "Ultimately, 'A Beautiful Noise' is victorious, but not without a few rough bumps along the way — much like the trajectory of Diamond’s life." The headline of an AP review by Mark Kennedy in the Washington Post read "Broadway's Diamond show isn't so good, so good" while noting that Swenson was "insanely great in every number." The review that appeared in Entertainment Weekly noted that "those going to A Beautiful Noise want to be entertained and entertained they will be."

## Cast and characters

| Characters | Broadway | North American Tour |
| Characters | 2022 | 2024 |
| Neil Diamond (Then) | Will Swenson | Nick Fradiani |
| Neil Diamond (Now) | Mark Jacoby | Robert Westenberg |
| Marcia Murphey | Robyn Hurder | Hannah Jewel Kohn |
| Doctor | Linda Powell | Lisa Reneé Pitts |
| Jaye Posner | Jessie Fisher | Tiffany Tatreau |
| Fred Colby, Tommy O’Rourke | Michael McCormick | Tuck Milligan |
| Bert Berns, Kieve Diamond | Tom Alan Robbins | Michael Accardo |
| Ellie Greenwich, Rose Diamond | Bri Sudia | Kate A. Mulligan |

### Notable cast replacements
#### Broadway (2022–2024)

* Neil Diamond (Then): Nick Fradiani
* Marcia Murphey: Amber Ardolino

## Awards and nominations

2022 Broadway production
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Robyn Hurder | Nominated |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Mark Jacoby | Nominated |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair | Luc Verschueren | Nominated |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Will Swenson | Nominated |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Musical | Outstanding Production of a Musical | Nominated |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Nominated |
| 2023 | Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show | Steven Hoggett | Won |
| 2023 | Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show | Robyn Hurder | Won |
| 2023 | Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show | Jess LeProtto | Won |
| 2023 | Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show | Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show | Nominated |