When I told my friends I was going to see “The Notebook” on Broadway, they couldn’t believe it had been turned into a musical. “It’s too sad” they said. “How could they do it?” But let me tell you, they’ve taken Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 bestselling, tear-jerker novel, and turned it into a tender and moving show with genuine emotion and wonderful songs.
Now, if you haven’t read the novel or seen the hit film—where have you been? There are so few truly memorable love stories – and this one has always been a beloved classic, especially the 2004 movie version, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
For the stage adaptation, Tony-nominated Bekah Brunstetter wrote the book, with original music and lyrics by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, bringing the emotional journey of the characters to life through song.
The story is about Noah and Allie, two teenagers from different sides of the tracks, who meet at a summer coastal resort in the late 1960s.
They fall head over heels but, of course, life gets in the way—parents, circumstances, you name it. In the middle of their romance, Allie’s parents whisk her away from young Noah and the two don’t meet again until years later when Allie is engaged… and a few nights before her scheduled wedding, she goes back to the coastal town to see him. Needless to say, she doesn’t make it to the altar with the other guy!
At the opening, we meet an older man, played by the marvelous, Tony-nominated Dorian Harewood, who is “friends” with an older woman (Tony-nominated Maryann Plunkett) suffering from dementia in the nursing home. As he reads from a notebook, we see the story of the young couple, Noah and Allie, on stage.
It’s only a bit later, we realize that “the notebook” he is reading from is telling their love story – he’s reading to her, hoping she will remember he is her loving husband, still by her side.
As the show progresses, the story weaves back and forth between the older couple, the teens (John Cardoza and Jordan Tyson), and the adult “middle” Noah and Allie (Ryan Vasquez and Joy Woods), who have found each other again to renew their forever love connection.
All the actors are excellent, and their songs are sincere and poignant. The set offers a dock with water where the teens interact, and when the middle Noah and Allie get back together, the audience is treated to an onstage rainstorm, which adds a strong dramatic effect.
What’s particularly interesting in this stage version is the casting. It’s an interracial group of actors. No, it isn’t Noah is black and Allie is white or vice versa. In this production, the two younger Noahs are white, and the older Noah is black, whereas the two younger Allie characters are women of color, and the elderly Allie is white. It’s a choice that offers new insights and perspectives, giving audiences an opportunity to experience the tale in a new way.
It’s a deep exploration of the characters’ inner thoughts and emotions through story and song, regarding the themes of enduring love, class differences, and the passage of time. It shows that it’s life’s situations and memories that universally shape who we are. No matter your race or ethnicity, everyone can relate to the thrill of love and the pain of loss.
The day I saw the show, the audience couldn’t have been more excited. They applauded, cheered, and wept, with tissues at the ready. And at the end, there was a long and fervent standing ovation.
Yes, “The Notebook” is a moving and bittersweet musical now… and underneath all the new songs and streaming stage lights, it’s still got that special Nicholas Sparks’ magic!
See it at The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036.
Directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams
Book by Bekah Brunstetter Music and Lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson
Cast: Ryan Vasquez, Joy Woods; John Cardoza, Jordan Tyson, Maryann Plunkett, Dorian Harewood, Andrea Burns, Carson Stewart, Chase Del Rey, Hillary Fisher, Dorcas Leung, Charles E. Wallace; Yassmin Alers, Alex Benoit, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman, Happy McPartlin, Juliette Ojeda, Kim Onah, Charlie Webb
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