Will Swenson is a believer in first look at new Neil Diamond musical, A Beautiful Noise
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Good times never felt so good...
At least for Will Swenson, who is currently starring as legendary entertainer Neil Diamond in the Broadway bound A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical. EW has your exclusive first look at the show below.
Matthew Murphy
Swenson, a Tony nominee for Hair, stars as Diamond across 60 years of his songwriting. Anchored by fictional therapy sessions, the show features Diamond reacting to his lyrics as a therapist reads them aloud from The Complete Lyrics of Neil Diamond. An exploration of Diamond's songwriting ensues, as the songs come to life.
"Working on the show has been surreal," Swenson tells EW. "Imagine singing 20 Neil Diamond songs…portraying Neil Diamond… while the actual Neil Diamond is five feet away from you! Out. Of. Body. Experience. It's been a wild, amazing trip to have him in the rehearsal room, have him involved in the process and giving amazing, insightful (because he LIVED IT!) feedback about the show. Honestly, doing the show for our audiences almost feels like I'm cheating! It's super clear that all that love and applause is coming from the crowd's deep love and appreciation for Neil. The audience energy and response has been insanity. I feel like I'm just perched on Neil's shoulders and getting to receive all this joy and love and adoration by association. I didn't do a darn thing to earn it other than have the good fortune to portray one of the greatest entertainers we've ever had."
The role is shared by Swenson and Mark Jacoby as the older Diamond.
A Beautiful Noise, named for Diamond's 1976 album of the same name, features a book by Anthony McCarten (Darkest Hour, Bohemian Rhapsody).
Jenny Anderson
The show has begun its out of town tryout in Boston, and Diamond has been there to get in on the fun. He attended rehearsals, as seen in this shot of him and Swenson talking. But he also accompanied the cast to a Boston Red Sox game to lead them in the 7th inning stretch tradition of a stadium-wide singalong to his own song, "Sweet Caroline." Diamond retired in 2018, so this marked a rare live performance from the singer.
Matthew Murphy
Diamond is one of the bestselling music artists of all time with ten number one singles to his credit, including "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "America," and "Cracklin' Rosie." His songwriting has earned him a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, recognition at the Kennedy Center Honors, and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Check out more exclusive images from the show below. A Beautiful Noise is currently playing at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, and it's set to move to Broadway this December.
Matthew Murphy
Matthew Murphy
Matthew Murphy
Matthew Murphy
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