Neil Diamond musical is the nostalgic balm we need
Will Swenson has been preparing to play Neil Diamond for almost his entire life. “I listened to it a lot as a kid, and by the time I was in eighth grade I was playing Neil Diamond songs on the guitar,” he says.
So I play young Neil A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical It’s a dream come true for the Broadway star. The show, which opens early next month, traces the shy Jewish boy’s journey from Brooklyn to becoming a hit-making machine, with sold-out concerts around the world and 140 million album sales to his name.
Justin McManus
Like Diamond, Swenson is a baritone, so he got a stylish impression of the artist who wrote countless hits from a single anthem. Sweet Caroline hit number one Crunching Rosie.
“I’d do Neil’s stuff every now and then as a party number, and when this musical came along I said, ‘This is for me’.”
The way the show is framed is truly artistic, he says. “The structure of it is really clever and goes deep into who he is and the challenges he’s experienced and continues to experience.”
An old Diamond, portrayed by Terence Crawford during therapy sessions with his counselor, provides an insight into the mind of the famous musician. Swenson says audiences are truly surprised when they leave because they’ve had a truly emotional experience as well as a great musical experience.
One of the most surreal moments for Swenson was the day the team pitched the idea for the show to the man himself. “We were in this little room and I was singing 20 Neil Diamond songs, doing a Neil Diamond sound in front of him… 10 feet (three meters) away. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” Swenson says.
“Once we got the go-ahead, he couldn’t have been more supportive and helpful, just gently nudging, ‘maybe do it this way, not that way.’
“But it was so exciting. Getting his input, getting him in the room and knowing he was behind it. He was incredibly kind to me and the players.”
TEG Dainty executive producer Susie Parks says Australians have a special bond with the legendary singer/songwriter, who toured here seven times between 1976 and 2015. Warm August Night It spent 29 weeks at number one and 65 weeks on the charts.
Diamond, now 85, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, at which point he stopped performing live. he was Will visit Australia and New Zealand as part of a 50th anniversary tour that year.
The show wrapped up its US tour on Sunday night. Directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Chess, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Once, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), written by four-time Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten. Bohemian Rhapsody And Two Popes.
