Critical Review at Hennepin Arts

  A Beautiful Noise: When a Newcomer’s Trash is a Superfan’s Treasure You’ve had this nightmare before. You’re certain of it. You’re attending someone’s retirement party but- you’ve never met the honoree in question. The night is a collage of melodies passionately belted by the partygoers, adeptly recognizing the song within seconds of its opening melody. You don’t know the words. You hear tale after tale of the retiree’s greatness. You’re given little time to arrive at this conclusion yourself. You hear a touching speech about his persistent loneliness. You can’t help but feel the same. You’ve spent your night crashing a party ill-equipped to newcomers.  But the velvet covering the plush theater-style chair under your fingertips feels all too real. You’ve just endured a night at The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise .  ABN follows retired rockstar Niel Diamond (Robert Westenberg) in his mid-seventies, processing the twilight of his career, using a comprehensive alm...

Two brown armchairs face each other on an otherwise empty stage. One is occupied by an empathetic counselor, eager to listen. In the other sits a bitter old man who was once a king of rock. And thus, the scene is set for A Beautiful Noise . (From left) Nick Fradiani as ‘Neil - Then,’ Robert Westenberg as ‘Neil - Now’ and Lisa Reneé Pitts as ‘Doctor’ in A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel The Tony-nominated 2022 musical presents the life and times of legendary singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. The guitar-clad performer is an imposing, prolific cornerstone of American music history, boasting 37 Top 40 Hits, a Grammy, and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A Beautiful Noise depicts a modern, retired Diamond (“Neil Now”) in therapy. He unpacks his life through a series of flashbacks beginning in the 1960s (“Neil Then”). Directed by Michael Mayer, Beautiful Noise ’s Broadway tour opened in Minneapolis on Tuesday for a nearly full house, which seeme...

  In my freshman year of ‘Honors English’, there was an infamously hard test, like nobody had gotten an A in YEARS. What was the test on, you ask? The original version of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare. Who would have guessed that by junior year, I’d be watching the 2025 Broadway on Hennepin tour of & Juliet (here May 13th through 18th) and enjoy it– especially after such dreadful memories regarding its source material. Despite this, I cherished this production, as the premise is retelling the ending that had me rolling my eyes in class. By reimagining the story while still paying homage through the script, actors, and scenery– & Juliet truly surprised me with how much fun I had.  What are some famous lines when you think of Romeo & Juliet ? Mayhaps, "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"- or maybe- “Parting is such sweet sorrow”? Within & Juliet, you’ll find many ways Max Martin and David West Read (songwriter and author, respectively) m...