After years of acclaimed work on Broadway, together with standout performances in Into the Woods, 1776, and Firm, Tony nominee Robert Westenberg stepped away from the New York highlight to give attention to educating, directing, and household life. However when the chance to play Neil Diamond within the nationwide tour of A Stunning Noise got here calling, it was a proposal he couldn’t cross up.
On this interview, Westenberg talks about what drew him again to performing, the emotional layers of portraying an older Neil Diamond, and the way the present presents way over only a greatest-hits live performance. This interview has been edited for size and readability.
A Stunning Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is at present taking part in on the San Diego Civic Theatre. For more information and tickets: Broadway San Diego
I haven’t seen the present but, however I hear it’s about Neil Diamond?
Robert Westenberg: It’s certainly!
Simply kidding about that one. After a very nice profession on Broadway, you have been away from New York for some time. How did you get the half?
Robert Westenberg: Jim Carnahan, who was the casting director for the present, we’ve recognized one another for a few years after I was in New York, you understand, manner again when. And he had his assistant ask me if I’d be excited by auditioning for the unique Broadway manufacturing.
And on the time, I used to be in Springfield, Missouri, educating, working a BFA musical theater program at Missouri State College. And I talked to my spouse about it and mentioned, “Why not? I’ve been out of the sport for 20 years.” So, I despatched within the self-tape.
After which Michael Mayer, the director, requested me to return into New York to have a second audition. I did that. After which they informed me that it wasn’t going to work out at the moment. They gave the function to Mark Jacoby and however mentioned that they’d maintain me in thoughts for the longer term. So, I mentioned, superb.’
After which a few yr later, they contacted me and requested me to return out for a music session with Sonny Palladino. And some weeks after that, they supplied me the function within the nationwide tour.
Was {that a} fast sure, or did it’s a must to give it some thought?
Robert Westenberg: I had to consider it. I’ve kids and grandchildren and we’re all very fortunately ensconced in Colorado proper now, apart from my son, who’s nonetheless in Missouri.
However, yeah, it was a number of considerate conversations. However finally, it was my spouse saying, “For those who don’t do that, you’re going to remorse it.” So, I mentioned ‘sure,’ and right here I’m.
Whenever you kind of weren’t in New York and actively working, did you miss it?
Robert Westenberg: Generally. I imply, I used to be actually, actually busy. I used to be working theater applications and doing a number of directing and writing and educating. And I actually loved directing lots. And so, I used to be nonetheless engaged, actively artistically engaged. And actually, I imply, I used to be okay. I used to be fulfilled with what I used to be doing on the time.
However then when this chance got here up, I believed it might be good to see if there’s any fuel left within the tank, you understand, to see if I can nonetheless do it.
You may have had a terrific profession. You have been within the unique Broadway manufacturing of 1776 and Into the Woods, the revival of Firm. In spite of everything that, did you get excited once they supplied you the function?
Robert Westenberg: Oh, God, sure. Oh, are you kidding? I don’t have a jaded bone in my physique. I used to be like just a little child once more. I imply, it’s the identical thrill of the prospect of the undertaking itself, of being accepted at that stage, that top business stage of high quality and expectations.
I get excited each evening earlier than I’m going on and do the present. I get little butterflies and it’s a brand-new viewers. They haven’t seen it earlier than and I’ve bought to climb that mountain each evening.
I imply, the present is excellent, and the crowds go ballistic each evening. It’s a love fest on the finish of the present. And it’s such a pleasure to do. We’ve got an exquisite solid and the power is so optimistic, it’s a thrill. It’s an actual thrill and privilege.
How do you go about taking part in Neil Diamond? Did you do any kind of analysis? I imply, watch YouTube movies?
Robert Westenberg: Oh, positive. I did. I did all of that. And, after all, learn the script time and again to get an concept of what’s really taking place within the context of the play, when it comes to the actions of the scenes and all of that.
After which, sure, learning Neil Diamond, listening to his music once more. YouTube was extraordinarily useful to see Neil at completely different phases of his profession, particularly for the newest ones, as a result of I play the older Neil, what’s referred to as Neil Now.
After which as soon as I bought into rehearsal, I bought to look at Nick Fradiani, who’s taking part in Neil, and he’s completely wonderful within the function. He’d been doing it on Broadway for a minimum of a yr, I feel, earlier than he got here on the tour. I simply watched him lots in rehearsal. In truth, that’s a part of my function, is watching Nick. I sit on stage and I watch Nick and everyone else.
And simply getting a way of his carriage and his demeanor and his rhythms and his heart and all that stuff that makes Nick, Nick. I believed it might be good to attempt to discover some sort of a meld between the 2 of us in order that the credibility of his Neil getting old into my Neil would make sense.
Is there a very exhausting half about taking part in the function?
Robert Westenberg: It has a really robust emotional arc. The tip of the play is sort of intimate and uncooked. It’s not a jukebox musical by any means, from anticipating kind of a catalog of his songs and a live performance of the best hits of Neil Diamond. It’s not that. Every part is contextual. Every part has an emotional base. Every part is story-based and relationship-based.
And so my Neil has a difficulty, has an issue. And I’m not going to provide that away, however he wants to resolve it, I want to resolve it. I’ve to undergo that each evening and I’ll say it’s a deep private excavation when it comes to the place he’s required to go by the script and by the therapist that he’s working with on stage to get to a spot the place he has a breakthrough.
That first time you have been on stage after being away for some time, was it similar to, “I’m again, child?”
Robert Westenberg: Possibly just a little bit, and perhaps just a little little bit of deer within the headlights. I forgot how technical it’s in a manner with the make-up, the hair, the microphone and all of the stuff. However that got here again moderately shortly.
I imply, I’ve been doing it for nearly 50 years or so. However the brightness of the spotlights, it’s an adjustment. After which after I was up there in tech, and we have been in Windfall, Rhode Island, I went, “Oh, yeah, that’s proper.” It’s actually, actually shiny. And it obscures the whole lot else. It eclipses something. Your peripheral imaginative and prescient is gone. You’re simply sort of caught on this haze of sunshine and it’s a must to discover your focus, you’ve got discover a place and a strategy to join and be the place you’re alleged to be within the play. In order that to me was the most important adjustment. But it surely got here moderately shortly, actually. It’s similar to using a motorbike.
You haven’t been on a tour in fairly some time both. What’s kind of the most important change that you simply’ve seen? Are issues extra environment friendly? Are you having fun with it extra?
Robert Westenberg: Properly, sure, to each of these. The people who find themselves producing this tour are extremely environment friendly and really skilled. It’s a first-class operation. Every part’s taken care of. Every part’s anticipated.
I’ve toured earlier than again within the days while you went out and purchased a steamer trunk from a secondhand retailer. I went by all of that however now it’s all rather well organized.
One of many issues of leaving the household for the tour was the truth that there’s Zoom and there’s FaceTime. So, I can join with my children and my grandkids and my spouse on a regular basis.
Again within the day, you needed to depend on taxis, they usually have been generally erratic or they weren’t accessible or no matter. And now Uber is there and it’s simply so easy.
Properly, I’m tremendous excited to see this.
Robert Westenberg: It’s thrilling to be in it. It’s a thrill to be in a present the place you’ll be able to actually say to family and friends and strangers, please come see the present. You’re not going to be upset.
And as an actor, it’s so encouraging as a result of we all know that each one of that is going so as to add up. They’re all taking the journey with you. They’re tilted in our favor earlier than we even begin the play as a result of I might say a minimum of 90 % of them are Neil Diamond followers. And so we’ve bought that already. However then now we have to earn it.
It’s impactful. It’s entertaining. It’s an origin story and it’s a reminiscence play. It’s a Neil Diamond live performance. It’s all of these issues wrapped up and built-in into this lovely piece of storytelling that takes the viewers to a very fantastic place each single evening.
