A BEAUTIFUL NOISE:
THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL
ANNOUNCES “AMERICAN IDOL” WINNER
AND BROADWAY’S CURRENT ‘NEIL DIAMOND’
NICK FRADIANI
WILL LAUNCH THE MULTI-YEAR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR IN THE TITLE ROLE
TOUR TO BEGIN PERFORMANCES
IN FALL 2024
AND VISIT MORE THAN 25 CITIES IN ITS FIRST YEAR
INCLUDING PHILADELPHIA'S FORREST THEATRE
THIS DECEMBER
New York, NY (May 19, 2024) – Producers Ken Davenport and Bob Gaudio have announced that Nick Fradiani, currently starring as ‘Neil Diamond – Then’ on Broadway in A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, will launch the multi-year North American Tour in the title role including the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia in December.
The announcement was confirmed on tonight’s season finale of “American Idol” on ABC-TV after Fradiani sang a medley of Diamond’s beloved songs “America” and “Sweet Caroline” with some of the finalists from the 2024 season.
Since winning “American Idol,” Fradiani released his debut album Hurricane in 2016, featuring the hit single “Beautiful Life.” Past My Past, his second solo album, was released in 2022. He made his national tour debut in A Bronx Tale and his Broadway debut in A Beautiful Noise, taking over the role of ‘Neil Diamond – Then’ in October 2023.
The Broadway production continues to play for cheering audiences nightly at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City, starring Fradiani, through Sunday June 30.
A Beautiful Noise will launch its First National Tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) in Providence, RI in September 2024. The tour will then go on to play more than 25 cities in its first year.
Fans are encouraged to visit www.abeautifulnoisethemusical.com to see a current tour route and to sign up for the email newsletter and be among the first to receive tour news and updates. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.
“Some of my most thrilling nights have been while I was on tour, bringing my music to audiences across the world,” said Neil Diamond. “Having A Beautiful Noise go on tour is an honor and I can’t wait for audiences across North America to experience this show. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.”
Producer Ken Davenport said, “Neil is one of the best live entertainers the world has ever seen. In his fifty-year career, he’s performed for millions of fans around the globe. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to honor his legacy than having A Beautiful Noise touring North America, visiting the same cities where he gave so many people so much joy. I look forward to launching the tour in Providence, RI, a city that has been in love with Neil’s music for decades and where Neil himself performed almost a dozen times.”
Producer Bob Gaudio said, “When Neil and I first started talking about making a musical using his music, I knew how daunting that would be. With Jersey Boys, I learned how vital it is to have a first-rate creative team making sure everything weaves together. We have that on A Beautiful Noise – an incisive book that tells Neil’s story honestly, fantastic choreography, one of the best directors on Broadway guiding the entire production, and of course, Neil’s iconic songs. Having the show go on tour is an exciting next step and I look forward to being there on opening night in Providence.”
The tour is lead produced by Ken Davenport, Bob Gaudio and NETworks Presentations.
This is the story of that Brooklyn kid who made it big and took us all along for the ride. From those exhilarating early days in New York to the sold-out spectacles that defined his career, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical explores the life of a rock icon through the music that made him “a national treasure” (Los Angeles Times).
The story of the legendary Neil Diamond comes to life on stage in an uplifting new Broadway musical, A Beautiful Noise, featuring all his hit songs including “Sweet Caroline,” “America,” and “Cracklin’ Rosie.”
The grandson of Jewish and Polish immigrants, Brooklyn born and raised, Neil Diamond was a New York kid down to his boots, strumming his guitar on the steps of Erasmus High School on Flatbush Avenue. 1960s America was hungry for change and so was he. He landed a gig selling songs for fifty bucks a week in the legendary Tin Pan Alley’s Brill Building. At night he honed his voice on stage at the Village’s Bitter End, but knew he was destined for something greater. This was New York, after all. City of dreams. Full of life and opportunity where anyone could write their story. And so he did, in song after song.
10 Top 10 Hits. 140 million albums sold. His 1972 concert and live album Hot August Night sung in front of 5,000 screaming fans catapulted him to fame as the ultimate entertainer. He sang his way to a Grammy Award, into the Rock and Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame, then topped it off with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy and the Kennedy Center Honors.
Directed by Tony Award® winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Once, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and written by four-time Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Two Popes), A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is a thrilling look at an artist’s search for himself and a celebration of the enduring power of his music.
The design team for A Beautiful Noise on Broadway features Tony Award winner David Rockwell (scenic design), Tony Award nominee Emilio Sosa (costume design), four-time Tony Award winner Kevin Adams (lighting design), Tony Award winner Jessica Paz (sound design), and Luc Verschueren (hair and wig design). The production has music supervision and arrangements by Sonny Paladino, incidental music and dance music arrangements by Brian Usifer, vocal design by AnnMarie Milazzo, and orchestrations by Bob Gaudio, Sonny Paladino, and Brian Usifer. The team also includes Bonnie Panson (production stage manager), Jamie Harrison (illusion consultant), Kathy Fabian (properties designer), Jim Carnahan, CSA (casting), and Amy Jacobs of Bespoke Theatricals (general manager).
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is produced on Broadway by Ken Davenport, Bob Gaudio, Sandi Moran, Hunter Arnold, Scott Abrams, Marco Santarelli, Jonathan and Rae Corr, Marguerite Steed Hoffman, Ron Kastner, Rob Kolson, Valli Family Group, Caiola Productions, Paul Dainty AM, Gaudio Family Group, Joseph J. Grano Jr., Starlight Theatre, Roy Putrino, James L. Nederlander, Tricia Blake, Mark E. Jacobs, Universal Music Group Theatrical, Deborah Green, Patty Baker, Sheri and Les Biller, H. Richard Hopper, Sharon Karmazin, NETworks Presentations, Adam Riemer, Matthew Salloway, BB Investments LLC, Universal Theatrical Group, Witz End Productions, Theatre Producers of Color, and Ryan Conway.
BIOGRAPHIES
Ken Davenport (Producer) is a two-time Tony Award-winning producer of Once on This Island, The Play that Goes Wrong, Gettin’ the Band Back Together, Spring Awakening, It’s Only a Play, Macbeth, Godspell, Kinky Boots and the Off-Broadway productions of Altar Boyz, The Awesome 80s Prom, My First Time and more. He was the executive producer for North America for Andrew Lloyd Webber and the theatrical consultant for Primary Wave. Ken founded TheaterMakersStudio.com for writers, producers and anyone who dreams about getting a show on a stage. His blog and podcast have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair and more. Ken conceived the best-selling board game Be a Broadway Star (Amazon) and is an avid golfer. Born Kenneth Anjum Hasija, Ken dedicates his career to his late father, Dr. Kenny Dipchand Hasija, an Indian immigrant who dreamed about going into the theatre. Favorite production is daughter McKenna with his wife, Tracy Weiler. Upcoming: Harmony by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation and Joy the Musical. KenDavenport.com. Instagram: @kendavenportbway
Bob Gaudio (Producer). Inducted into the Songwriters, Rock and Roll, and the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The principal writer and an original member of The Four Seasons portrayed in Jersey Boys, one of the top ten longest-running Tony and Olivier Award-winning hit Broadway musicals. Earned a Grammy for the JB cast album, remaining one of the top ten bestselling cast albums. Gaudio wrote and/or co-wrote “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Beggin’,” the classic “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and numerous others. He produced and co-wrote with Jake Holmes, the album Watertown for Frank Sinatra. He produced a number of songs for Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack and others and the film soundtrack for Little Shop of Horrors. Bob’s longtime association with Mr. Diamond yielded seven albums, including The Jazz Singer Soundtrack, along with “America,” “Hello Again,” “September Morn,” “Love on the Rocks,” “Forever in Blue Jeans” and the Diamond & Streisand duet “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” Thanks to the life-long support of his three children, Lisa, Danielle and Shannon. Special thanks to the Nashville ABN music development team: Ryan Sutton, Debra Clements, Blair Masters. A Beautiful Noise would not be a reality without the insights and trust of Neil and Katie Diamond.
Networks Presentations (Producer) is an industry-leading producer of touring theatrical productions, committed to delivering quality entertainment to audiences worldwide for more than 25 years. Networkstours.com