KeyBank’s Broadway Series “The Notebook” tugs hard on all the heart strings

Photo By Roger Mastroianni

In October of 1996 Nickolas Sparks published his first fictional novel “The Notebook” making The New York Times bestseller list in its first week of release where it spent fifty-six weeks. On March 14, 2024 having received the Broadway treatment of music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and book by Bekah Brunstetter it opened at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre where it played for just over eight months before closing. Nominated for three Tony Awards, three Drama League Awards and one Outer Critics Circle Award it failed to win any. Currently, the touring production is engaged in an eight month 32 city tour starting in our own Cleveland, Ohio.

In spite of the financial burden, Noah Calhoun (Beau Gravitte) lives in a retirement home with his wife Allie (Sharon Catherine Brown). Although fit enough for his age to live in his own house, he wishes to be with his wife of so many years and whom he deeply loves. Allie suffers from advanced Alzheimer’s disease, struggling to remember any details of her life with Noah or her family (“Time”). We are also introduced to Younger Noah (Kyle Mangold) and Allie (Chloé Cheers) as well as Middle Aged Noah (Ken Wulf Clark) and Allie (Alysha Deslorieux). Each day, Noah goes to his wife’s room with a notebook that tells the story of their meeting, falling in love, falling out of love, falling back in love and their happy married life together until the dark shadow of dementia entered their lives. Noah reads to Allie in the hope that if only for a moment the dark veil can be lifted from his wife’s mind.

Young Noah is a high school drop out “townie” working at his father’s lumber yard. Allie comes from a wealthy overly protective family on summer break from high school. She spends her days with piano lessons, painting and going to the cinema. They meet by chance and find each other fascinating as their friends try to dissuade them from falling in love due to their differing social classes (“Dance With Me”). Against all advice, Noah walks Allie home declaring that he has fallen in love with her. As their relationship develops (with Allie sneaking away to see him instead of going to the movies) Noah points to an old abandoned house (Allie thinks that it is haunted) saying that his dream is to buy that house (“Blue Shutters”) and refurbish it just for her (“Carry You Home”).

Noah wants to meet Allie’s parents but she is against it as she has kept the relationship a secret from them. As they argue, Noah notices a painting that Allie is holding and was going to give to him. (“I Paint”). Noah is moved by its combination of darkness and beauty (“Sadness and Joy”). Allie realizes that she has found her soul mate.

After a month of stealth, Allie finally agrees to take Noah home to meet her parents (Anne Tolpegin and Jerome Harmann-Hardeman). They are at once surprised and suitably unimpressed. After a short argument they ask Noah to leave. Later that night the two lovers meet at the abandoned house and in a fit of passion consummate their relationship (“Leave The Light On”). As Allie gets dressed to return home, Noah’s friend Fin (Caleb Mathura) arrives to warn Noah that the police are looking for him. Her parents have reported Allie as being kidnapped.

Fin finally convinces Noah to run as Allie calls out her address asking him to write, which he promises to do. Fin and Noah enlist in the army and as it is the height of the Vietnam War are sent overseas right after basic training. Good to his word, Noah mails a letter every day but each one is intercepted by Allie’s mother. After a year he stops writing. Returning from the war, Noah purchases the abandoned house and begins to renovate it in the hope it will bring Allie back to him.

It is now ten years later as Noah has finished the house project and unbeknownst to him Allie is engaged to Lon (a wealthy investment banker Allie’s parent’s approve of). They are to be wed in a week. Allie still gets the local paper from the resort town she had met Noah in. To her surprise, she sees an article about the restored house. Knowing now that Noah survived the war she wonders if he has also moved on with his life (“What Happens”). Allie decides to go back to the town of her first love to see if what they had all that time ago was real.

Shifting back to the nursing home, Allie’s visiting children and grand children are strangers to her (“I Wanna Go Back”). As Allie briefly remembers Noah she suffers from an episode causing Noah in the heat of the moment to have a stroke.

While chock full of neatly placed and relevant songs and superbly acted by a fantastic cast this show may cut too close to those experiencing spouses and family members suffering from various forms of dementia. For the rest of us so blessed with healthy loves of our lives it is a delightful tale of loyalty and true affection that is an inspiration.

Beau Gravitte as the Older Noah is superb in his starring role bringing a depth of humor mixed with compassion that is rare on the modern stage. Sharon Catherine Brown as the elder Allie stays in character throughout the show until we see the veil slightly lift at the close. Equal bravos for Kyle Mangold and Chloé Cheers as the younger couple and Ken Wulf Clark and Alysha Deslorieux as the middle aged lovers. While these six carry the show the supporting cast of Anne Tolpegin as Mother/Nurse Lori, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman as Father/Son/Others, Connor Richardson as Johnny, Jesse Corbin as Lon/Others, Rayna Hickman as Nurse Joanne/Others, Makena Jackson as Sarah/Granddaughter/Others, Caleb Mathura as Fin/Grandson/Others and Grace Ohwensadeyo Rundberg as Georgie/Concierge/Others are all superb sited for their roles.

The scenic design by David Zinn and Brett J. Banakis is a marvel of functionality with multiple sets interlaced to form a homogeneous and pleasing presence. Ben Stanton’s lighting design ranges from the dramatic to the subtle, matching the mood exactly. Nevin Steinberg’s sound design conquers the vastness of the Connor Palace delivering crisp dialogue and song to the audience. The eight piece orchestra under Tina Faye does a wonderful job with the various array of songs. The show is smartly directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams.

Be prepared to have all of your emotions engaged in a single evening of superb musical theater. You will laugh, you will cry, you will cheer and you will fall in love with this wonderfully crafted example of superlative theatrical offerings. Shows like this do not come around that often so make it a point to see this production.

The Playhouse Square KeyBank Broadway Series production of “The Notebook” will be onstage in the Connor Palace at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio through September 27, 2025. For tickets and more information go to http://www.playhousesquare.org or call (216) 241-6000.