The Neil Diamond Musical A Beautiful Noise Comes to the Overture Center March 18-23: Just Like Neil Wanted It
Above: Lisa Reneé Pitts plays Neil Diamond’s therapist in A Beautiful Noice
Below: Lisa Reneé Pitts
by Jonathan Gramling
Singer Neil Diamond was a legend in his own time. Beginning in the 1960s, Diamond was one of the few American acts who could compete with the British Invasion of groups like The Beatles and the advent of American groups like The Grateful Dead. Diamond’s Pop appeal withstood the competition and the test of time. Even young people today know “Sweet Caroline,” one of Diamonds biggest hits.
Lisa Reneé Pitts, who plays Diamond’s therapist in “A Beautiful Noise,” the Broadway musical about Diamond’s life feels a special kinship to the musical.
“I’m originally from Brooklyn, New York, the same area that Neil Diamond came from, the Flatbush section of Brooklyn,” Pitts said. “I’ve known that I wanted to be an actress since I was no bigger than a kneecap. And I was blessed to have parents who said, ‘We support you.’ So I went to performing arts junior high school and high school. I majored in theater at Rutgers University. And I’ve been on my journey ever since. I’m now based in Los Angeles. But I do get back to New York City and actually all over the country to keep up with my theater.”
The first play that Pitts attended was The Wiz when it played on Broadway. That’s due, in part, to Pitts inclination to be a dramatic and comedic actor. And while Pitts knew she wanted to act at an early age, her parents wanted her to have a normal life.
“I had parents who said, ‘Oh yeah, you can do this’” Pitts said. “I didn’t do it as a child. My parents put me in performing arts schools. I started programs where I could train and still do it non-professionally because they said, ‘You have the rest of your life to be an actress. At this time, just be a kid.’ And I really appreciate that they did that. From the beginning, I’ve always been confident in my talent and just having that support system really helped me to propel myself forward.”
Pitts is a dramatic/comedic actor first, second and last.
“When I worked on Straight Our of Compton and played Dr. Dre’s mom, I hadn’t even dreamed that dream yet, to play an icon’s mom in one of the biggest movies ever,” Pitts said. “I can’t even say that it was a dream come true because I never dreamt it. It just propelled me in so many ways within the business and to work with such iconic people who are just like everyone else, just like Neil Diamond. They have their good days and their bad days. Sometimes we put our celebrities on such a pedestal, so nothing can bother them or they have everything they need. But we all pout our pants on the same way. Playing Dr. Dre’s mom in Straight Out of Compton was something I cannot find words for.”
Playing the Doctor in A Beautiful Noise is not something that was on the top of roles Pitts wanted to play. She was, after all, a dramatic actor.
“From the moment my agent and my team sent me the script, I said, ‘A musical,’” Pitts recalled. “Okay. Maybe.’ They said, ‘Lisa, just read it.’ When I saw that in the play you get the spectacle for all of those who just love Neil Diamond’s music, you’re going to get all of the singing and the dancing and the lights and the guitar, you’re going to get all of that. But in addition, you’re going to get this intimate ‘small black box theater’ acting of this man showing his humanity and telling about his troubles all the way to the top: his struggles and his highlights. It’s just so beautiful to be on that stage every night telling this story.”
It’s the interaction between the Doctor and Diamond in the therapy sessions that lead to all of the music and dancing.
“My character does not sing,” Pitts said. “I play his therapist. And it’s through our sessions that we take a look back on his life, his musical career as well as his personal life. It’s through that reflection that he is able to make some new choices about how he wants to live in this present day. I think my character has one, little solo part where we get to Sweet Caroline. But the audience just loves that song so much from the first note that they just take over. They’ve taken over my one little spot of singing. But I let them have it gladly.”
And yet, Pitts is still singing it.
“When that Sweet Caroline starts, it’s over,” Pitts said with a chuckle. “It’s just completely over. We just love it. We just absolutely love it, from the crew back stage to those of us who are on the stage, it is just so exciting to see people get so moved emotionally — there is joy and sadness because it reminds them of where they were or what they were doing at that time. It’s just really wonderful to be a part of it.”
And what makes A Beautiful Noise so special is that it is just the way that Diamond would want his story told.
“A Beautiful Noise is for everyone,” Pitts emphasized. “It’s for all of the people who just love Neil Diamond’s music, who have been fans since Day One. You’re going to get the glitter and the songs and the dance and all of his greatest hits plus some. And then also for those people who want to know about the intricacies of his life and the choices he made within his personal life and his musical life, you’re going to get that side of the story too. You’re going to get a big Broadway show and then you’re going to get a small, black box theater performance telling his entire story. I would like to mention that of all the things Neil Diamond could have done to tell his story — he could have had a book written about him or a film or an audio book — he chose to have a Broadway musical, a Broadway musical that would tour around the world and country because that is what he did. When the songs come on, you realize when and why he wrote specific songs and what was going on in his life at that time. It’s really fascinating. And he loved his fans so much, so if you couldn’t get to New York City, he would want to go to you. And that’s why we are doing this tour.”
It’s Pitts first Broadway musical tour and so she has had to learn life on the road on the fly.
“I am learning when to exercise, what to eat, what to pack, what not to wear, when to rest,” Pitts said. “For me, you have to get on a rhythm. However, the rhythm changes week to week. Sometimes, we’ll have two weeks in a city, so I use my first couple of days to acclimate myself. But now we’re only in each city for one week, so I don’t have time to acclimate. I have to boom, ‘Here’s my schedule. I’m up at 8 a.m. I’m exercising at 9 a.m.’ I have to be very disciplined with myself. Time goes by so fast. You can get caught up in other things. I just have to be so disciplined. It’s a lot on our bodies. It’s a lot on our minds because we still have homes back home. Rent has to be paid. Bills have to be paid, so you’re trying to juggle both lives.”
Pitts does have a dream of playing a role that hasn’t even been created yet.
“I am waiting to play Eartha Kitt,” Pitts said. “I am waiting for her story to come. And I am waiting for to book it. I don’t know if anyone else is planning on it right now. I’ve heard some buzz. But I’m really looking forward to playing Eartha Kitt. I’ve been told several times that I look like a younger version of Eartha Kitt. I do sing and dance, so I can go back into my musical theater roots for that. She has such a wonderful story that I think should be told just as the others have been told. I’m just putting that out there into the universe.”
Even over the phone, one gets a sense of Pitts’ love of life and love for the theater. It’s not hard to imagine her as Eartha Kitt. Perhaps she will be coming to a screen — or a theater — near you.
