Interview: Will Swenson on Leaving A BEAUTIFUL NOISE and Reflecting on the Role of Neil Diamond

After an almost four year journey with A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical, the man at its center is bidding farewell to the show. Will Swenson, who originated the role of ‘Neil Diamond – Then’ will play his final performance in A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical, at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street) on Sunday, October 29. 

BroadwayWorld spoke with Swenson about his journey with the show and the role, and how he feels about leaving A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical behind.

You are leaving A Beautiful Noise after originating the role of Neil Diamond – Then. How do you feel in this moment?

I’m torn! It’s bittersweet. 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 [laughs]. 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. And at the same time, it’s so daunting, and so much work that part of me is very relieved to get a rest, and let my broken body and voice rest up, and move on to something else.

How do you feel like you’ve grown as a person and as a performer throughout the years of being with this show?

I’ve learned a lot about persistence and hope. Because when we started putting this show together it was pre-pandemic, and then the pandemic came along and we just thought, ‘Maybe this will never happen.’ It’s been a long process, I joined this process in early 2020, so going on four years of having it in my creative world. I’ve learned a lot about discipline, because this is one of those shows where if I don’t really take care of my body and my voice, I just plain kind of can’t get through the show. I sing - not in their entirety - but about 23 songs in the show. A lot of them are snippets, but I basically never leave the stage, and it’s a lot of hard, gravely singing. So, I’ve learned a lot about discipline, and about having to take care of my body and voice, otherwise I just can’t do it.

It’s the first time I’ve ever portrayed anybody that’s living, so that was a fun angle and element of the process of creating a character that I’ve never really done before. You just have so much source material to mine from. So, that’s been intriguing, and interesting. In one way it’s freeing because you’re like, ‘Oh, I know exactly what my character is supposed to be,’ and on the other hand, there’s that microscope of ‘Everybody knows exactly who he is too, so you better nail it to meet the expectations.’ [laughs]. And to actually get to know the man himself has been incredible. So, I’ve learned a lot in a lot of ways!

There are Neil Diamond superfans. How was it being able to connect with the fans of this show?

It’s different from any show I’ve done. Normally, you feel like at the beginning of the evening you’ve got an audience that’s waiting to be entertained. You go out and you try to do your best to tell the story and put on an amazing show, and prove to them that the show is good, that you’re good, that the show is worthy of their accolades. And with this show, everyone loves Neil Diamond already. They love him so much that it’s just a very different experience coming out at the top of the show. They already love it. 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. 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.

So, it’s a different energy. It’s lovely as an actor to have them won over at the beginning of the evening [laughs]. But, at the same time, you realize that they love him so much that you better not mess this up, because they’d be so disappointed to come expecting this great Neil Diamond experience and go, “Eh, he was okay.” And hopefully that hasn't been the case. I know that hasn’t been the case, because they’ve been very effusive [laughs], and very grateful.

What are you going to remember most about your time with the show?

I said to my dresser the other night, “I think I will remember changing costumes and coughing,” [laughs]. I’ve been sick lot through the year, but in a way it helps that gravelly sound, so I think I’ve gone on a bit more than I maybe should have when I’m feeling a little under. But, I’ll remember the costume changes, because I have something like 20 costumes, so that takes up a lot of the energy [laughs]. Of course I’ll remember the cast and creative team, they were, and still are, dreamy. I would work with them again in a heart beat. And working something up from the ground is my favorite kind of work. I love a good revival as well, but then you have these preconceived notions of how it should be, and there’s this pressure to reinvent stuff. And when you’ve got a truly original show, you’re really building something from the ground up, and it is complete creation. So, I love the experience of an original show, and originating a role, there’s nothing better than that.

What are you going to miss the most about coming to work at A Beautiful Noise every day?

I’ll miss the cast and crew, I think, first and foremost. Sometimes there’s a good theatre energy and sometimes there’s an uneasy theatre energy [laughs], and every actor will tell you, “Oh this show, it’s pretty tense backstage…” That’s never been the case with this show. Everyone is happy to go to work, and joyful to be onstage. So, I will absolutely miss the cast. I will miss the joy that the audience projects at us at the end of the night, when we sing along 'Sweet Caroline' with the entire audience. I think they’re surprised that they’ve had such an emotional night, because I think a lot of them think they’re just coming to a concert event. And because the show is so emotionally centered, I think they’re very surprised that they get moved, and have this newfound connection with the story of Neil. So, I’ll miss surprising audiences in that way, and receiving that joy. Overall, it’s such an honor to be the recipient of all that love that they’re sending to Neil. To be a part of that transaction is amazing.

What’s next for you?

I’m going to nap for about three months [laughs], that’s what I’m going to do. I am so tired that I’m just going to rest and rest, I don’t have anything creatively lined up. I’m going to spend a lot more time with my daughter. This show has been so taxing that I feel like I’ve been a little bit of an absentee dad [laughs], 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. Theatre 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.

Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes