Utah native Will Swenson is done playing Neil Diamond on Broadway. What’s next?
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It’s been nearly four years since actor Will Swenson first took on the daunting project of portraying a legendary singer-songwriter who he grew up listening to and admires. Now, after countless workshops and rehearsals, a premiere run in Boston and about a year on Broadway, Swenson is ready to put aside his guitar and fringe, sequined jackets and have someone else take on the role of Neil Diamond full time.
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Will Swenson concludes run as Neil Diamond on Broadway
On Oct. 29, Swenson concluded his run as Diamond in “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical,” which explores the singer’s rise to stardom and features a slew of his hits, including “Sweet Caroline,” “America” and “Cracklin’ Rosie.”
“It’s bittersweet,” the Utah native told BroadwayWorld in a recent interview. “To have the privilege of creating not only a new role in a brand new Broadway show, but to be able to portray somebody that I look up to, and have always respected and admired so much, has been an incredible honor. It’s been the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life — I’ve never worked harder. And those are the things that you value, the harder you work at something the more you value it. So, I am crazy about the show, and the role, and the experience.’”
Swenson — who has performed in Broadway musicals including “110 in the Shade,” “Hair,” “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” “Les Miserables” and “Waitress” — said “A Beautiful Noise” was a different beast. Night after night, he sang snippets from 23 Diamond songs and had roughly 20 costume changes. It took a toll on his body — Swenson said he’s been sick a lot this year, though in a way it tended to help his performance since Diamond’s voice has a rough, gravelly quality to it.
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Throughout his run, a major highlight for Swenson, a BYU and Cottonwood High graduate, was the fact that he had already won his audience over at the start of the production —something that doesn’t happen often in the theater world.
“I can’t tell you how many times I come out on stage for my very first entrance, and I see people crying immediately because they just see this poor man’s version of Neil Diamond —me — up there, and they love him so much,” Swenson told BroadwayWorld. “And I think they’re so hungry for their Neil Diamond connection they haven’t been able to have, because he can’t tour anymore, they love him so much that they already are enamored with coming and having an evening with Neil Diamond.”
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Diamond retired from touring in 2018 after announcing his Parkinson’s diagnosis, and said it wasn’t until the disease “prematurely” ended the touring aspect of his career that he really considered the idea of a Broadway musical about his life.
“I say ‘prematurely’ because my heart and soul would tour until the day I die if only my body would cooperate,” Diamond shared in a letter on the Broadway musical’s website.
Swenson said portraying a living legend made the role all the more daunting for him — Diamond even made a rare public appearance at the Broadway premiere of “A Beautiful Noise” last December.
Now that his time as Diamond is over, Swenson said he’s taking a break before he pursues his next creative project. The first thing on his agenda: “I’m going to nap for about three months,” he told BroadwayWorld.
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Swenson, who is married to Broadway star Audra McDonald, said he’s looking forward to spending more time with family.
“This show has been so taxing that I feel like I’ve been a little bit of an absentee dad even when I’m home because I have very few resources to give. So, I’m very excited to be home a little more, and be more present. Theater is wonderful, but it can be a massive challenge when you don’t get to be home and present as much as you’d like to be.”
Who replaced Will Swenson in ‘A Beautiful Noise’?
Nick Fradiani, the 2015 “American Idol” winner, was previously Swenson’s alternate and portrayed the role of Diamond for one performance a week. Fradiani has now taken on the role full-time, per New York Theatre Guide.
“Neil Diamond’s music was a huge part of my childhood. I grew up with my father performing his songs, and even taking me to see Neil as my first concert,” he said in a statement, per Playbill. “To have the opportunity to take over the role of Neil Diamond (Then) in ‘A Beautiful Noise’ on Broadway is truly an honor. I have seen firsthand the love, passion, and excitement the audience has brought to our theater over the past year, and I’m so lucky to continue being a part of this beautiful story.”
What is ‘A Beautiful Noise’ on Broadway about?
Although “A Beautiful Noise” celebrates Diamond’s music, Anthony McCarten, the musical’s writer, has said it’s not “all singing and dancing and flashing lights,” per The Boston Globe.
Neil Diamond steps on stage in Salt Lake City
Instead, McCarten chose to center the production on a series of Diamond’s therapy sessions from the 1970s — and he reportedly did hours of interviews with Diamond to develop this concept.
“I wanted it to be about something, and Neil, to his great credit, was not afraid to go there,” McCarten told the Boston Globe. “My job is not to flatter. It’s to get to the bottom of something. And Neil was happy for me to ask the questions, and he was nothing but honest in his responses.
“That’s what made him an extraordinary artist,” he continued. “If you examine his songs, even though they were pop tunes, there’s a lot of depth and self-inquiry in them.”
