Ryan Vasquez (‘The Notebook’) on portraying the ‘deep, complex and enigmatic’ character of Middle Noah [Exclusive Video Interview]
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“The show is obviously a love story which I think people expect, but it’s also about loss and life and how you spend your days and your time and the people with whom you do that,” reflects Ryan Vasquez about the new musical “The Notebook,” which just opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 14. The actor stars as Middle Noah, a character he originated in the tryout of the show in Chicago in 2022. He calls that production “an experiment” because the show touched “such an open nerve” when it premiered right in the wake of the pandemic. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“The Notebook” is adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, which also inspired a successful film 20 years ago. Vasquez shares that he actually “saw the movie in theaters way back in 2004,” explaining that he was a “huge fan of Rachel McAdams,” who starred in the role of Allie. The performer is especially proud that this stage adaptation is “going to act alongside these other versions… without being a regurgitation of those things,” even though they share some “flashpoints” like Noah and Allie’s kiss in the rain. While audience may be expecting a “saccharine, sort of sickly-sweet, over-the-top love story,” the actor explains that the show explores “a deep human element to the story” and is thus “its own entity.”
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Since “The Notebook” is a memory play – the framing device of the story is the older versions of the central couple Noah and Allie reading the story of the way they met, fell in love, drifted apart and reunited before age robs Allie of much of her memory – Vasquez shares the role of Noah with two other actors: John Cardoza as Younger Noah and Dorian Harewood as Older Noah. The actors worked together to ensure that these three different versions of Noah were “one unified person” and do so by sharing “literal things in terms of gestures and things that we’re peppering in throughout the show.” Even so, the actor says that when the story focuses on one moment in time, “You’re bringing your individuality to it… You get to see more layers of paint on these people that now are these deep, complex and enigmatic people.”
Vasquez gets to perform one of the standout songs from the score, which was written by Ingrid Michaelson, called “Leave the Light On.” It has been years since young couple Noah and Allie parted abruptly and Noah has fulfilled his promise of buying and renovating an old house for them to live in together. As the performer explains, “Noah in this section is in pain… that phase is full of this confusion and misunderstanding” about why Allie never kept in touch with him. He loves the “gorgeous” song, especially as a self-described “singer with pop sensibilities.” “Leave the Light On” has an arc for him to play, too, as it begins with hope that Allie will return before Noah crashes “back to reality” and realizes that he may have to move on.
Most of Vasquez’s scenes are shared with Joy Woods, who portrays Middle Allie. The performer describes his scene partner as “a dream,” in part because she is “so polished and mature for her experience.” The reunion of Middle Noah and Allie is not an altogether happy one, and the actor says he and Woods have worked very closely to create “a rhythm” and “heartbeat” to the work even offstage to help carry each other “safely and beautifully” through the emotionally-charged material.
Of course, it wouldn’t be “The Notebook” without Allie and Noah’s kiss in the rain storm, an iconic moment from the movie that directors Schele Williams and Michael Greif recreate on stage. “You can certainly feel the audience anticipating it,” confesses Vasquez about the scene, and he notes that once the thunder kicks in, he can hear a “whisper rippling through the audience.” Beyond the onstage effect, it’s an important moment for the character because “it’s the first moment that you see Middle Noah really experience joy.” As for how they pull it off eight times a week, the performer reveals, “There are two rain curtains that we dive into to get wet, but once the scene begins we step in so it’s hitting our shoulders but not our mics.” “There’s something really beautiful about being able to experience that moment together that everybody’s anticipating and that really delivers creatively,” notes the actor.
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