Over Spring Break, I had the pleasure of seeing The Notebook on Broadway and it absolutely did not disappoint. The Notebook is obviously based off of the Nicholas Sparks book of the same name and it is one of the many new musicals that recently joined Broadway, among other new book musicals such as The Outsiders and Water for Elephants. The Notebook opened on Broadway on March 14 but was in previews for about a whole month beforehand, which is when I saw it at the Schoenfeld Theatre. Previews essentially mean that the cast is performing to an audience each night but during the day, they still have rehearsals and the creative team can make any new changes they see fit to the show. However, once a production officially opens on Broadway, the structure and direction of that show is set and cast members only need to come in to perform for that night or matinee performance.
The Notebook is absolutely stunning and left most of the audience in literal tears by the end of the show. It’s a constant emotional rollercoaster and of course tells the story of Allie and Noah who fell in love as teenagers but come from such different worlds, that their love is threatened to break apart. The music is written by Ingrid Michaelson who is best known for her 2000s pop hits and even though this was the first musical she had ever written, she absolutely blew away all expectations. The book is written by playwright Bekah Brunstetter who is best known for being a writer on the tv show This Is Us so once I read that, I knew the show was going to be beautiful while still emotionally damaging since it is one of the most iconic love stories of our generation. The casting is the most unique and impressive part of the musical because the director Michael Grief decided to have three actors as Young, Middle, and Older Noah and then three actors as Young, Middle, and Older Allie. Moreover, the director utilized color-blind casting so Young and Middle Allie are black while Older Allie is white and it’s vice versa with the character of Noah since Young and Middle Noah are white while older Noah is black. The reasoning behind this casting is simply to show that love is universal and has no limits to restrain it from being in people’s lives. Plus, the actors are all absolutely incredible. Each version of Noah and Allie has a distinct voice but their mannerisms and personalities all lend towards the bigger picture of the characters that so many people have grown to love over the decades. Broadway veteran Maryann Plunkett who plays Older Allie has the challenging task of depicting the battle Allie faces with dementia but she of course rises to the occasion and the loving but also heartbreaking dynamic between her and Dorian Haywood who plays Older Noah will certainly leave you in tears.Joy Woods who plays Middle Allie and Ryan Vasquez who plays Middle Noah especially impressed me, not just with their vocal chops, but also the range of emotions they were able to portray and with all three couples, it truly felt like they were in love and you were witnessing it right in front of you.
My favorite part of the musical was definitely the classic rain scene where Allie and Noah confess that they still love each other. This actually did happen on stage with rain pouring down from the rafters as the actors embraced and danced. It was such an awe-inspiring, beautiful moment that truly captured the heart of the story. Even though there are many emotional scenes, there is still plenty of humor throughout the musical to balance out the hard moments and remind the audience of the joy and innocence that is felt when experiencing young love. Hopefully The Notebook will have a long run on Broadway and if you ever find yourself in New York City, I highly recommend taking a night to see this spectacular show. It is a story that will appeal to everyone and leave you appreciating all the loved ones you have in your life, long after you leave the theater.
