A Beautiful Noise The Neil Diamond Musical
Review by Ernest Edwards/Ernest Goes To The Theatre
A Beautiful Noise The Neil Diamond Musical opens the 2025/2026 Broadway on Hennepin series for Hennepin Arts. As you can tell from the title, this is a biographical musical about the life and career of Neil Diamond told with his music. I learned a lot about Neil Diamond and his career from this musical.
In the program we learn from Neil Diamond himself that Parkinson’s Disease ended his career as a performer. That information does lead into the musical in the way a that Neil - Now is seeing a therapist at the behest of his third wife. As the older Neil Diamond looks back on his life and career we have Neil -Then taking us on the journey and singing the songs we know and love. For last nights performance we had standby Joe Caskey as the young Neil Diamond or as he appears in the program Neil - Young. He had a great voice and stage presence. Joe Caskey was the one performing a vast majority of the Neil Diamond hits in the musical.
The concept of the musical is that Neil - Now is with his therapist. And he is not cooperating. She starts to analyze the lyrics of his songs to get to understand the man. That’s when Neil Diamond starts to take us on the journey of his life and career. Told with wigs and costumes from the 1960’s and 1970’s. He had a multi decade career of making music and touring.
Back in the 1960’s Neil Diamond wanted to change his name. Thank goodness a manager by the name of Ellie Greenwich convinced him to keep his name. Neil started out as a songwriter, similar to Carole King, Neil Diamond wrote for others. We learn in the musical he wrote the song “I’m a Believer” that was a big hit for the Monkees. Eventually Neil started recording and performing his songs himself. Starting out doing gigs at a small bar in Greenwich Village/The West Village in Manhattan. He was starting to make it, and was getting away from his roots in Flatbush.
His life had some ups and downs with multiple marriages, divorces, and children from these marriages. To hear where and when in his life these songs came about was fascinating. I like that in the program they only list the songs that are part of the musical in alphabetical order. Instead of listing the order of each song in each act. No surprises from the program when your favorite song will appear in this musical.
This is a fun musical! You get to learn a lot about Neil Diamond and his career, plus you get to hear those hit songs live on stage with this talented cast. You leave the theater will Neil Diamond songs dancing around in your head.
Don’t leave right away after the curtain call, the cast performs two extra songs.
The musical is town for one week only. The last date is Sunday October 5, 2025. Check out hennepinarts.org for ticket information.
