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 deal with educating, directing, and household life. However when the chance to play Neil Diamond within the nationwide tour of A Lovely Noise got here calling, it was a suggestion 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 gives way over only a greatest-hits live performance. This interview has been edited for size and readability.
A Lovely Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is presently 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 extremely 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 identified one another for a few years once I was in New York, you already know, method again when. And he had his assistant ask me if I’d be excited about auditioning for the unique Broadway manufacturing.
And on the time, I used to be in Springfield, Missouri, educating, operating 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 advised 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 hold me in thoughts for the long run. So, I mentioned, fantastic.’
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 provided me the function within the nationwide tour.
Was {that a} fast sure, or did you must 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 loads of considerate conversations. However ultimately, it was my spouse saying, “When you don’t do that, you’re going to remorse it.” So, I mentioned ‘sure,’ and right here I’m.
While you form of weren’t in New York and actively working, did you miss it?
Robert Westenberg: Typically. I imply, I used to be actually, actually busy. I used to be operating theater packages and doing loads of directing and writing and educating. And I actually loved directing rather a lot. 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 already know, to see if I can nonetheless do it.
You could 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 provided 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 a bit child once more. I imply, it’s the identical thrill of the prospect of the undertaking itself, of being accepted at that stage, that prime trade 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 received 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 an exquisite solid and the power is so constructive, 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 form of analysis? I imply, watch YouTube movies?
Robert Westenberg: Oh, positive. I did. I did all of that. And, after all, learn the script again and again to get an thought 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, finding out Neil Diamond, listening to his music over again. YouTube was extraordinarily useful to see Neil at completely different phases of his profession, particularly for the latest ones, as a result of I play the older Neil, what’s referred to as Neil Now.
After which as soon as I received into rehearsal, I received to observe Nick Fradiani, who’s taking part in Neil, and he’s completely superb within the function. He’d been doing it on Broadway for not less than a yr, I believe, earlier than he got here on the tour. I simply watched him rather a lot in rehearsal. In truth, that’s a part of my function, is watching Nick. I sit on stage and I watch Nick and all people 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 sensible to attempt to discover some sort of a meld between the 2 of us in order that the credibility of his Neil growing old into my Neil would make sense.
Is there a very onerous 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 form of a catalog of his songs and a live performance of the best hits of Neil Diamond. It’s not that. All the pieces is contextual. All the pieces has an emotional base. All the pieces is story-based and relationship-based.
And so my Neil has a problem, has an issue. And I’m not going to offer 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 identical to, “I’m again, child?”
Robert Westenberg: Perhaps a bit bit, and perhaps a bit little bit of deer within the headlights. I forgot how technical it’s in a method with the make-up, the hair, the microphone and all of the stuff. However that got here again somewhat rapidly.
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 once 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 vibrant. And it obscures every thing else. It eclipses something. Your peripheral imaginative and prescient is gone. You’re simply sort of caught on this haze of sunshine and you must discover your focus, you have got discover a place and a technique to join and be the place you’re presupposed to be within the play. In order that to me was the largest adjustment. However it got here somewhat rapidly, actually. It’s identical to driving a motorcycle.
You haven’t been on a tour in fairly some time both. What’s form of the largest change that you simply’ve seen? Are issues extra environment friendly? Are you having fun with it extra?
Robert Westenberg: Nicely, 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. All the pieces’s taken care of. All the pieces’s anticipated.
I’ve toured earlier than again within the days once you went out and acquired a steamer trunk from a secondhand retailer. I went by way of all of that however now it’s all very 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 typically erratic or they weren’t obtainable or no matter. And now Uber is there and it’s simply so easy.
Nicely, 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 may actually say to family and friends and strangers, please come see the present. You’re not going to be disenchanted.
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’d say not less than 90 % of them are Neil Diamond followers. And so we’ve received that already. However then we’ve 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 extremely great place each single evening.