‘A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical’ Is a Broadway Concert for the Truly Devoted
However, depth and detail are absent from the musical; instead, clichés rule. Watching the show, one wondered if those so transported were watching what was in front of them, or simply worshipping their icon; were they appreciating Swenson, or reveling in hearing the Diamond-ness of it all? Perhaps no one is here for the book, or wants the show to dig deep. Diamond’s fans know what they want to know about him, and just want the songs—and this they get. The answer is in all those swaying hands: this is a tribute concert unconvincingly studded with some words—paradise for Diamond’s fans, but not great theater.
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If the Refreshing ‘KPOP’ is the Future of Broadway, Consider Me a Stan
Against all expectations for a behind-the-scenes musical drama, KPOP’s storytelling is as sophisticated as its high-octane performances. Though the newly-opened Broadway musical at Circle in the Square Theater was a hit during its pre-pandemic run at Ars Nova, I was prepared to hate-watch it. Why? Because I wince whenever I hear the cheesy bops of […]
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In ‘A Christmas Carol,’ a Classic Tale Made to Feel Anew
“Marley is dead.” Everybody knows that. So it’s spoken, most assuredly, that first line of that familiar story. Starting with a match lit in the dark, a whole world starts to unravel around the sole performer who, with every small shift in his posture, and in the timbre of his voice, will embody almost every […]
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