| Wayman, thank you for posting this! I almost didn't see BEAUTIFUL NOISE on my January theatre trip to NY because my theatre friends who had seen it were unimpressed, said it was like going to a concert, and that the audience sang along. One week before my trip, I still had one slot left... and my pre-teen obsession with early Neil Diamond music and my love of Will Swenson and Mark Jacoby caused me to take a chance and get a ticket for that last slot. Well, I LOVED IT!! Turns out it's not like a concert at all, they frame the show as "old Neil" in psychotherapy, and retell the story of his life as flashbacks with "young Neil" --- so much stuff I didn't know, even though I was obsessed in the 60's/70's, because we didn't have the internet back then! And when I saw it, the audience only sang during the encore, which was encouraged. I recommend it to folks who love early Neil Diamond music, because they focus on that, thankfully. Both Will Swenson and Mark Jacoby were amazing, and the 11 o'clock number brought me to tears! So glad that this show isn't your stock jukebox musical, it is so much more. |
