‘The Neil Diamond Musical’ National Tour Recoups After Five Months

After five months on tour, “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” has recouped its investment. The national tour kicked off last year in Providence, where it had the most successful tour launch in the city’s history.
“I have so many wonderful memories of performing in cities across the country,” Diamond said in a statement. “Now, to have ‘A Beautiful Noise’ breaking records and bringing joy to audiences in those same cities is thrilling. Without the producers, this wonderful cast led by Nick Fradiani (who plays Diamond), the band, crew, and creative team, none of this would have been possible. I look forward to the show’s continued success around the country and all over the world.”
“A Beautiful Noise” opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on Dec. 4, 2022, and ended its run on June 30, 2024, having played 35 preview performances and 657 regular performances. Ken Davenport, one of the show’s producers, believes the musical would have enjoyed an even longer run had it not been for the pandemic.
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“We were the second-longest running new musical to open after the pandemic, bested only by ‘& Juliet,’” he said. “We were doing that at a time when the suburban audience was down 30%. Had that not been the case and we weren’t opening right after COVID, we’d still be playing today.”
On the road, he says, many of those people are now catching up with the show when it hits their hometown. The national tour has played 14 cities so far — its 15th city, Charlotte, North Carolina, begins performances on Tuesday. Upcoming tour stops include Atlanta, Milwaukee and Grand Rapids, plus a leg in California.
“For fans all across the country, this is their best chance to connect with Neil and his music,” Davenport said. “There are people that tell me, ‘my first date with my wife was at a Neil Diamond concert,’ and there’s a lot of children of those people coming and saying, ‘my parents taught me all about this music when I was growing up.’ And then the real magic for us is when they tell me that story, then they say, ‘and I brought them to see this show with me.’”
Among other highlights from the national tour, “A Beautiful Noise” broke the box office record in Hartford, Conn. for a one-week engagement. It announced its return in Chicago before finishing off the initial engagement. And it presented nine performances in Providence, Washington D.C., Orlando, Fort Myers and Cleveland.
“This thing keeps going and going,” says Davenport. “It’s performed beyond my expectations.”