By Joey Morona
If anyone was born to play Neil Diamond on Broadway, it’s Nick Fradiani.
The singer and actor’s father, Nick Sr., was a musician and a huge Diamond fan who regularly performed the rock legend’s songs at gigs across their native Connecticut. The family played his Christmas album on repeat during the holidays. Father took son to see Diamond when the younger Nick was four years old. It was his first concert.
“His music was in my soul and my blood from before I could ,” he said.
Fradiani, 38, is reprising his Broadway role as Diamond in the first North American tour of “A Beautiful Noise,” a jukebox bio-musical about Neil Diamond which arrives Tuesday, May 27, at the San Diego Civic Theatre.
If his name or face rings a bell, Fradiani’s first big break came when he and his band, Beach Avenue, appeared on “America’s Got Talent” in 2014. The group’s run only lasted a few episodes, but it spawned a hit single, “Coming Your Way.”
The next year, Fradiani competed as a solo artist on the seventh season of “American Idol.” His audition of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” impressed judges Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. and guest judge Adam Lambert so much that they unanimously sent him to Hollywood. From there, viewers voted Fradiani through to the next round and the next until he and another contestant, Clark Beckham, were the last ones left standing.
Following a series of spirited performances in the finale, the votes were counted, and Fradiani was declared the winner. But that “American Idol” title didn’t guarantee success. For every star the show has produced, there’s four or five previous winners you stopped thinking about a long time ago.
“I think the only reason it’s ever considered a double-edged sword is you get compared to Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and huge stars like that,” Fradiani said of his experience on the series, which he described as life-changing.
“I’ve had a career of 10 years ing myself by doing nothing but music,” he said. “That was always the goal.”
Indeed, Fradiani spent the immediate years following “American Idol” focusing on his recording career, releasing three albums and touring the country. He later signed with a musical theater agent and expressed an interest in auditioning for “A Beautiful Noise” while it was still under development.
By then, the musical had already cast its Neil Diamond, so his agent sent him off to do a cabaret gig in Texas. Fradiani used the opportunity to see if he could pull off the Rock Roll Hall of Famer’s songs. Until then, his only previous experience performing Diamond was leading sing-alongs of “Sweet Caroline” at bars.
“I saw the reaction from the people in the audience, and that’s when I realized I could sound like him,” he recalled.Fradiani then went to work, studying Diamond’s mannerisms, movements and singing by watching old videos on YouTube. He eventually convinced “A Beautiful Noise” producers he could do it, too. Fradiani was hired as the understudy and alternate to leading man Will Swenson for the musical’s Broadway debut in 2022.
Fradiani took over the role full-time the following year and played Diamond until the show closed this past summer. Fans might argue that the New York City run ended prematurely, but it allowed Fradiani to take his act on the road.
“You’re truly getting the Broadway experience on the tour,” he said.
“A Beautiful Noise” was conceived and brought to the stage by “Bohemian Rhapsody” screenwriter Anthony McCarten with the approval, cooperation and participation of Diamond himself.
“They met for weeks and weeks,” Fradiani added. “There isn’t a movie, a documentary or a book that Neil wrote. He wanted his story shared this way.”
The show opens with a current version of Diamond, played by stage veteran Robert Westenberg, visiting a therapist as he tries to come to with the end of his performing career after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
During those therapy sessions, Westenberg’s Diamond reflects on his life. Flashbacks revisit some of the most iconic moments and songs from his music career while revealing the untold story of a private man who dealt with his share of darkness off stage.
“It’s beautifully done,” Fradiani said. “You’re going to be moved more than you might expect.”
But that’s not to say the production doesn’t also feel like a rock concert. This is a fun show, Fradiani assures, the kind Diamond was famous for — a spectacle full of timeless songs (“Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Solitary Man,” “America” and many others) performed by the ultimate showman who, at one point, was bigger than Elvis.
“There was an older man in the audience in Providence, and he never stopped smiling and mouthing every word to every song,” Fradiani said, of a show in Rhode Island. “I see it every night, especially during the ending when we bring back ‘Sweet Caroline.’
“It’s just pure joy on the faces of everyone.”
‘A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical’
When: 7 p.m. May 27 and 28; 7:30 p.m. May 29; 8 p.m. May 30; 2 and 8 p.m. May 31; 1 and 6:30 p.m. June 1
Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown
Tickets: $51 – $231
