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But that鈥檚 the picture playwright paints in his bio-musical 鈥淎 , the Neil Diamond Musical,鈥� that opened its five-day run at Centennial Hall on Tuesday.

McCarten (screenwriter of the Queen biopic 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody鈥�) gives us a split-screen view inside Diamond鈥檚 career and life, framing the show between present-day Neil鈥檚 armchair therapy sessions and yesterday Neil鈥檚 journey of self-doubt and loneliness as he navigates the path to pop stardom.

The show is choreographed like flashbacks fading in and out of the therapy sessions, with present-day Neil conjuring up his younger self in scenes that expose his Debbie Downer mindset about his talent and future.

It鈥檚 not often that a jukebox musical shows us a side of the musician we didn鈥檛 see coming, and for many of those in Tuesday鈥檚 mostly north-of middle-aged audience singing along to the nearly 30 Neil Diamond songs, it鈥檚 a safe bet very few knew anything about the singer beyond his chart success.

In recent shows of the jukebox genre that Broadway In Tucson has brought to Centennial Hall, including 鈥淢J: The Musical鈥� in spring 2024 and 鈥淭he Tina Turner Musical鈥� that same season, we didn鈥檛 learn anything we hadn鈥檛 already known.

But 鈥淎 Beautiful Noise鈥� introduces us to Neil鈥檚 youthful insecurities and his present-day depression and anxiety as he comes to terms with his Parkinson鈥檚 diagnosis and loss of his stage life.

We saw present-day Neil鈥檚 angst and frustration about the end of his stage life through an emotionally charged performance from Tony-nominated veteran Broadway actor as the persistent therapist (a funny and heartfelt performance by veteran stage and film actress coaxes him to find his truth in his lyrics.

Yesterday Neil makes no attempts to mask his loneliness and insecurity even as his first wife () and producer Ellie Greenwich (the very funny Kate A. Mulligan) try to convince him that he is good. was terrific at walking his character鈥檚 fine lines between over-sentimentalizing his loneliness and being too aloof.

But it was Caskey鈥檚 voice that was the standout. There was something about his phrasing and the depth and nuance of his baritone that was reminiscent of Neil Diamond without trying to mimic the singer. He sounded just enough like the real deal when he was singing those fabulous hits 鈥� 鈥淐racklin鈥� Rosie,鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 A Believer,鈥� 鈥淗ello Again,鈥� 鈥淜entucky Woman,鈥� 鈥淵ou Don鈥檛 Bring Me Flowers,鈥� 鈥淎merica,鈥� 鈥淚 Am I Said鈥� and 鈥溾�滾ook On (Here Comes Tomorrow)鈥� 鈥� to remind us of seeing Neil Diamond live once upon a lifetime ago, but inserted his own interpretation that added new context.

brought humor, a powerhouse voice and mad dance skills to her role as wife No. 2 Marcia Murphey, while the vocally exceptional ensemble cast was outstanding from that first scene when they appeared out of nowhere from behind the armchair to the sing-along finale that included 鈥淎merica鈥� and 鈥淪weet Caroline.鈥�

鈥淎 Beautiful Noise鈥� continues at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. on the University of 蜜聊直播 campus, through Sunday. For showtimes and tickets, visit