A Beautiful Noise Cast Perform for 305 West End Assisted Living

Members of the cast of Broadway’s "A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” performed for residents of 305 West End, an assisted living community located at West End Avenue and 74th Street.

The musical, which chronicles the life and career of pop superstar Neil Diamond and includes such hits as “Sweet Caroline,” “Cherry, Cherry” and “Solitary Man. Cast members Alec Michael Ryan and Paige Faure will perform for the residents.

The purpose of their visit to 305 was to enrich the lives of residents by providing them with a front-row seat to a Broadway hit. Ryan and Faure s performed ionic songs from the show and engaged in in-depth conversations with residents of 305 about the creative process that brought Neil Diamond's music to life on the Broadway stage.

“The Magic of theatre has always been its accessibility - these songs, this story, the artists involved with "A Beautiful Noise” have the distinct ability to be able to connect with people in all walks of life, to give comfort and nostalgia while also enlightening you to new questions about Neil Diamond, and maybe even about yourself,” said Paige Faure.

According to Alec Michael Ryan, “Performing at 305, was most satisfying. I am grateful that we can find ways to make it accessible to the assisted living community. Studies have shown that music increases serotonin and dopamine which lifts one’s spirit and mood, increases memory and cognition, while decreasing depression, anxiety, and agitation. For many, these songs are the soundtrack to their lives. Being able to bring that experience to them is priceless; for us and hopefully, for them as well.”

For Paige Faure performing at 305 held special meaning. “My grandmother passed from Alzheimer’s in 2020, and right up until the end, music and play were what kept her spirit with us. I’m so happy to continue to connect to people in that way.”

“Having grandparents that are no longer able to travel and/or sit through a theatrical experience makes me hyper aware of our senior audience members,” said Ryan. “Seeing them light up at the beginning of each song, hearing them gasp when the melody of “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” is first introduced in the show, talking with them as they relive each time they have seen Neil live is so special. There is a palpable appreciation for the art-form, and what it means to them, that really inspires me.”

The 83-year-old Diamond has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten number one singles, and thirty-eight songs by Diamond have reached the top 10.

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, he received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. In 2011, he was an honoree at the Kennedy Center Honors, and he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. In January 2018, Diamond announced that he would stop touring after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.