By Shari Barrett
THE NOTEBOOK: The Musical is based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film that tells the story of Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, who share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. Directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, with music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, book by Bekah Brunstetter, and choreography by Katie Spelman, I was expecting to be thrown into their emotional story in a way that felt natural and easy to comprehend. You see, I am perhaps one of the few people who has never read the novel nor seen the movie before.
But after seeing the touring company at the Pantages and witnessing the standing ovation from the movie’s many fans who filled the theater on opening night, I hate to be the harbinger of negative thoughts about the production. That said, as a newbie to the characters and their story, I felt lost in the non-chronological timeline split between three couples at the various stages of Allie and Noah’s lives, wondering how their story would ever be tied together – and why in the world they allowed themselves to be pulled apart in the first place.
But I had to wait to find out until halfway through the second act when, seemingly out of nowhere,
her mother delivered important letters to Middle Allie as she lounged on Noah’s front porch the morning after they reunited, as told via a lovely dance sequence performed in the rain. I am still not sure what motivated her mother to appear just then, other than the writers trying to tie the storyline together for those familiar with the movie.
I did however enjoy all the actors portraying Allie and Noah, especially the older couple portrayed by Sharon Catherine Brown and Beau Gravitte during their scenes which seemed to be the most pivotal in the musical. No doubt, her mental decline rings true for those of us going through it with our own parents or in our own lives, making it all the more heartbreaking when she finally remembers the story he is reading to her is about the two of them, knowing she will forget it soon.
The Middle couple, Alysha Deslorieux and Jesse Corbin (stepping in for Ken Wulf Clark), most effectively channel the overwhelming love Allie and Noah feel for each other when they reunite after being separated for so many years. But it seemed unrealistic to me that if she really loved him that much, why did she wait so long to seek hm out – even if she thought he never wrote to her as promised?
Younger Noah and Allie (Kyle Mangold and Chloë Cheers) spend most of their time running back and forth across the stage to show their youthful rush of emotional connection. And no doubt it is easy to remember that same rush of feelings when first love blossomed in our own lives. And perhaps that’s the real hook that draws people into the story, the idea that your lost first love will eventually return to you.
Rounding out the cast are Anne Tolpegin (Mother/Nurse Lori), Connor Richardson (Johnny), Caleb Mathura (Fin/others), Makena Jackson (Sarah/others), Grace Ohwensadeyo Rundberg (Georgie/others), Rayna Hickman (Nurse Joanna/others), and Jerome Harmann-Hardeman (Father/Son/others). At the performance I attended, the role of Lon normally played by Jesse Corbin was played by Nick Brogan.
Top notch tech credits include scenic design by David Zinn & Brett J. Banakis, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Ben Stanton, and sound design by Nevin Steinberg. Tina Faye’s music direction as conductor/keyboard artist delivers the songs effectively, with standouts being the many solos performed by Deslorieux as Middle Allie including “What Happens,” “Sadness and Joy Reprise,” and the rousing “My Days,” and “I Know” performed by Gravitte and Brown as Older Noah and Allie near the end when she remembers who she is and what their love together was like.
No doubt fans of the movie will rave about this production since they are more familiar with the characters and storyline, fully aware of what the emotional impact ought to be and ready to shed tears much moreso than I was.
THE NOTEBOOK: The Musical runs 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission and is recommended for ages 10 and up. All persons entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a ticket; but children under 5 will not be admitted into the theatre. Children and teens under the age of 14 are required to have an adult chaperone. The production contains theatrical haze, CO2 fog, and strobe-like effects.
Performances run through January 25 at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre by Broadway in Hollywood, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90028. For more information and tickets, visit broadwayinhollywood.com/events/detail/notebook. It then moves to Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 300 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa 92626 from January 27–February 8. Information and tickets at scfta.org
