Nick Fradiani and Cast Photo by Jeremy Daniel

At curtain up, we find contemporary Neil (Robert Westenberg) sitting across from his therapist (Lisa Reneé Pitts, who has the demeanor of a therapist down pat). They sit in silence for a few moments, indicating that Neil is hesitant to share his thoughts and emotions, even in a therapeutic setting. The therapist presses him to open up, using a book that includes all the lyrics from the songs in Diamond's long career as a songwriter and performer. When she brings up the line from "I Am, I Said" that goes "Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of being a king–and then became one?," Diamond cuts her off, not wanting to address that very personal song.

Soon enough (for who really wants to sit in on a therapy session for 2-1/2 hours?), the action jumps back in time to Diamond's early years. After working in Tin Pan Alley's famed Brill Building, with only minor success despite writing dozens of songs, Neil turns to Ellie Greenwich (a brilliantly pushy Kate A. Mulligan), an established songwriter and singer who peppers Diamond with questions and discourages him from changing his name. (I had always thought "Neil Diamond" was a stage name, being so perfect for a performer.) When she hears "I'm a Believer," she knows it's a hit–but the song ends up going to The Monkees, who made it their biggest seller.

An apparently reluctant performer, Diamond wowed the audiences at New York's The Bitter End, a club famed for featuring many performers who would go on to stardom, including Bob Dylan, Woody Allen, Jackson Browne, and Lady Gaga. With a voice described as "gravel wrapped in velvet" and a winning stage presence (despite his initial hesitancy), Diamond's career took off–and so does A Beautiful Noise, as we go along for the ride of one of music's most popular performers.

A Beautiful Noise blends Diamond's iconic music with a compelling narrative of his life. The scenes with the therapist may draw us away from the music, but they add emotional depth and help us to understand his struggles as well as his triumphs.

As the young Neil, Nick Fradiani delivers a vocally stunning performance, capturing Diamond's sound with eerie precision. If you close your eyes, there are times you could swear you were listening to Diamond himself, so accurately has Fradiani been able to channel that signature tone.

Though the staging is rather bland, the passion and energy of 40+ years of amazing music more than compensate. As choreographed by Steven Hoggett, the chorus move in ways that seem to reflect the dance styles of the 1960s and '70s, Diamond's heyday. Additionally, Hoggett sometimes has the dancers stretching out their arms, as though symbolizing the connection Diamond may have felt was lacking in his life. (He married three times, and his song "Shilo" tells of the imaginary friend he invented for himself as a lonely child.)

The musical excels in integrating Diamond's lyrics into the storytelling, so that virtually every song seems to further the narrative, rather than feeling like a forced jukebox musical moment. With such a strong catalog to choose from, A Beautiful Noise mines the rich vein of Diamond's music to terrifically entertaining effect. A must for Diamond fans.

A Beautiful Noise runs through June 22, 2025, at SHN's Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor Street, San Francisco CA. Tickets range from $75.47-$236.93. For tickets and information, please call the box office at 888-746-1799 or visit broadwaysf.com. For information on the tour, visit abeautifulnoisethemusical.com/tour