At the premiere of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical Sunday night, audiences were treated to a special rendition of “Sweet Caroline” from the man himself.
Neil Diamond, his wife, Katie, and over 40 family members — including children and grandchildren — attended Sunday night’s premiere at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre. He got a standing ovation when he walked into the theater, but that wasn’t all he did to earn the crowd’s cheers.
Diamond surprised the audience by singing “Sweet Caroline,” his signature hit, while standing in the balcony of the theater, with the show’s cast providing the “bah bah bahs” from stage. Members of the audience leapt to their feet, applauded and sang along, adding the “so good, so good, so good” refrain that’s now become an integral part of any live performance of the song.
After the show, Diamond greeted the cast, crew and creative team; Will Swenson, who plays the younger version of the legendary entertainer, was able to introduce him to his dad. Swenson’s dad is a lifelong Neil Diamond fan who first introduced Will to Diamond’s music when he played Hot August Nights on a family road trip when Will was 4.
The performance marked the first time that Diamond, who lives with Parkinson’s disease, performed in his hometown of New York City since 2017.
Tickets for the show are on sale now.
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