Peak Hour Images has slipped behind the curtain, and what we found inside the rehearsal room of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is that it is already humming with the electricity of a hit!
Granted rare, fly-on-the-wall access, the Melbourne-based media outlet captured the raw, unfiltered heartbeat of a production on the brink of its Australian premiere this August. Through the lens of Lord Murray Schoorman, rehearsals unfolded not as polished spectacle, but as something far more compelling: the meticulous, high-stakes crafting of a story that has defined generations.
Inside the room, there is no audience, only process. Choreographer Steven Hoggett drills movement with precision, director Michael Mayer shapes moments with quiet intensity, and writer Anthony McCarten’s narrative threads are tested and refined in real time. It is here, long before the overture sounds, that Neil Diamond’s life is rebuilt, note by note, memory by memory.
At the centre of it all are two Diamonds. Will Swenson embodies the fire and hunger of the young Brooklyn songwriter, while Terence Crawford brings gravitas to the reflective icon looking back on a career that changed music history. Watching them alternate between eras is like seeing time collapse in on itself, youthful ambition colliding with hard-earned legacy.
Around them, a powerhouse cast builds the world: Ashleigh Rubenach as Marcia Murphey, Monica Sayers as the Doctor, Alana Tranter as Jaye Posner, Tim Wright in dual roles, and Hannah Fredericksen shifting between Ellie Greenwich and Rose Diamond. Standbys Rob Mallett and Mark Owen Taylor hover just offstage, ready, as ever, to step into Diamond’s shoes at a moment’s notice.
Lord Murray Schoorman’s images reveal the in-between moments audiences rarely see: a lyric adjusted mid-phrase, a lighting cue tested in silence, a burst of laughter cutting through the intensity. It is these fragments that define the “Behind The Noise” experience, an invitation not just to watch the show, but to understand its crafting.
And what a show it promises to be.
Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise charts the extraordinary rise of a Brooklyn kid to global superstardom. With more than 130 million albums sold and a songbook that includes “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” Diamond’s story arrives on stage as both celebration and revelation.
The Australian production, helmed by the team behind Jersey Boys and TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, leans fully into that legacy. Act One surges with classics like “I’m a Believer,” “Solitary Man,” and “Song Sung Blue,” before bringing the house down with “Sweet Caroline.” Act Two deepens the emotional register with “Play Me” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” then builds again to fan favourites including “Shilo” and “I Am… I Said.” & more!
For audiences wanting more than a seat in the stalls, the limited “Behind The Noise” package offers a rare extension of the experience: backstage tours, exclusive merchandise, and a closer connection to the machinery of the musical itself.
But inside that rehearsal room, as Peak Hour Images discovered, the real magic is already happening, long before opening night. It lives in the repetition, the risk, and the relentless pursuit of something that feels true.
If the energy in rehearsal is any indication, Melbourne isn’t just getting a new musical this winter, it’s getting a phenomenon.
Presented by: Paul Dainty, Ken Davenport & Bob Gaudio
PR: Kerry O’Brien Publicity
Venue: Princess Theatre, Melbourne 3000
