Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Notebook musical national tour at Paramount Theatre from Broadway Across America and Seattle Theatre Group. The chemistry between all three versions of the leads (teenage/adult/elderly) felt like one continuous soul. Alzheimer’s theme was woven into the non-plot portions of the production. Appreciated the intentional inclusive casting. Didn’t expect real water on-stage for the iconic rain kiss scene!
See it if you enjoy ballad musicals.
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? No
Mainstream Appeal: Medium to low
If A Random Stranger Asked What Show They Should See This Weekend, Would I Mention This Production? Maybe
My Synopsis (No Spoilers): Based on the beloved film and novel, this show portrays the timeless story of two young lovers separated by walls of class and parental expectation. Years later, they get one final chance at the life they were never supposed to have.
Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: Based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film, The Notebook tells the story of Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, who share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. “Full of butterfly-inducing highs and beautiful songs” (Entertainment Weekly), The Notebook is a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love. Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune says The Notebook is “absolutely gorgeous, not to be missed,” and The New York Daily News calls it “a love story for the ages.” The Notebook is directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, and features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, book by Bekah Brunstetter, and choreography by Katie Spelman
Type: Musical
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several
Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Dynamic
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You’ll likely appreciate this more if you read the book or saw the movie. Then again … you might spend the evening disappointed as you compare the musical to either.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Union Actor(s): All
Total Actor(s): Too many to count
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium Speed
Was there an intermission? Yes
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.25 hours
Other Rave(s)
- Iconic Moments: The night’s most striking moment was recreating the iconic rain pick-up kiss scene with real water falling onto a live stage, which is always an impressive and nerve-wracking feat. As a spectator, it’s hard not to wince for the microphones, costumes, wigs, and carefully applied makeup taking the brunt of it. However, Noah’s beloved “it wasn’t over… it still isn’t over” speech was curiously absent from the script. It would have been an easier addition and a line the audience was almost certainly waiting for (I know I was).
- Alzheimer’s Theme: Sharon Catherine Brown (as elderly Allie) meticulously portrayed a woman in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. Her performance was alive in the details, down to the restless hand-fidgeting that continued even when the spotlight moved elsewhere for extended period of time.
The production itself also seemed to internalize the disease as a structural principle. Rather than unfolding chronologically, the narrative drifted between distant teenager past, adult past, and elderly present in the fractured, non-linear way memory behaves in an Alzheimer’s patient. It placed the audience inside the disorientation as fellow travelers in someone else’s slipping timeline. It was a bold choice that sometimes slightly tipped from an evocative trance of memories to sometimes confusion. The time jumps could also be jarring, none more so than an early leap of a full decade that bypassed much of the source material’s original story and the rich, delicious angst that made the film so affecting.
- Race and Hair: Where Hollywood (including the original movie) typically defaults to white characters for this kind of love story, this production deliberately and refreshingly cast half the characters as Black mirroring the diversity of the black-ish TV show universe. There was disapproving interracial parents (a Black father, a white mother) to the central interracial couple and their biracial (grand)children. The production also quietly subverted convention by making the white male lead without means, while the biracial female lead carried both wealth and agency.
Equally striking was how the production used hair (designed by Mia Neal) as a visual language for identity. Young Allie proudly wore her natural hair freely and unabashedly trusted her truest self. As an adult bending to the weight of expectation, she straightened her hair into conformity. Then in the iconic rain scene she was soaked, raw, and finally honest about what she wanted as her hair loosened back into its natural curl. - Song Highlights: “I Wanna Go Back” was a standout number when teenager Allie (played by Chloe Cheers) and adult Allie (played by Alysha Deslorieux) with clear voices in sweet harmony gave life to lost elderly Allie’s longing for the past. The song’s most poignant line, “I didn’t know that the last time I’d leave the house was the last time I’d see my house,” was a gut-punch reminder that we rarely recognize life’s final moments as they happen. The other highlight was at the finale “Coda” where the full ensemble swelled in choir-like harmony. It was ethereal when the music stripped back to pure a cappella.
Rant(s)
- One Dimension: The score was the production’s most glaring weakness. It was a parade of flowery legato ballads with little melodic distinction. Needless to say, I won’t be adding the soundtrack to my Broadway playlist! But beyond the forgettable songs, the deeper problem was an absence of contrast. if you’re going for one-dimensional, make that dimension razzle-dazzle instead of languid. Or at least add a lively song as a release valve to remind the audience that musicals can breathe. The show offered neither range nor electricity.
This flatness infected other layers of the production as well. The visual motif compounded the problem with an impressionistic, vaguely folk-inspired vibe drained of color except for a mournful monotone blue. The script leaned heavily on silence where momentum was needed. It’s toxic when a show’s score, visuals, and book all make the same mistake. The result is a tepid production.
Theatre Company: National Tour from Broadway Across America and Seattle Theatre Group
Venue: Paramount Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
Price Range: $55 – 192
Ticket Affordability Options: Seattle Theatre Group might partner with an organization you’re affiliated with for discount tickets. For example, I believe UW employees/students are still eligible for an organization discount.
Seating: Assigned Seats
Parking: Paid street parking and paid garage parking. The best parking garage is under the convention center w/ the entrance on Pike around the Pike and Terry intersection. Last I checked, this is one of the cheapest, least busy, and closest garages. Alternatively, you can probably find street parking as you move closer to the West Precinct (810 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101). Do NOT park where the Paramount subscribers park. Last I checked, they usually park in the garage attached to the former Cheesecake Factory. It’ll take you at least 30 minutes to exit that garage after the show.
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Buy a Ticket or Learn More:
- https://notebookmusical.com/
- https://seattle.broadway.com/shows/the-notebook/
- https://www.stgpresents.org/events/the-notebook/
- Program
Photos: See production photos below by Roger Mastroianni.
Cast and Production Team: See after photos below.
