Theater Review: ‘The Notebook’: Love Over a Lifetime

10/10/2022
Updated:
10/10/2022

CHICAGO—Romance is always appealing to young lovers, but when love spans a lifetime, it will appeal to everyone of all ages. Such is the case with “The Notebook,” the gripping, enchanting new musical that opened at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Chicago, and is bound for Broadway.

The musical, adapted from Nicholas Spark’s 1996 novel, tells the same love story as did the 2004 movie starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. But as a stage production, it feels more intimate and personal than the film, and even more bittersweet.

Those who have seen the movie know its plot by heart. The tale of Allie and Noah, who fall in love as teenagers and whose parents try to separate them, is as old as Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

The younger Incarnations of Noah and Allie, played by John Cardoza and Jordan, meet and fall in love in "The Notebook." (Liz Lauren)
The younger Incarnations of Noah and Allie, played by John Cardoza and Jordan, meet and fall in love in "The Notebook." (Liz Lauren)

Yet, in its modern incarnation the narrative feels fresh and new. That’s especially evident since the stage presentation has more challenges than did the film in trying to present the journey of an older married couple trying to relive a lifetime of love, while looking back at it through the ghostly lens of Alzheimer’s.

The musical begins in a nursing home with Noah reading to Allie, an Alzheimer’s patient. He reads, not from a novel, but from the notebook that recounts their love story. Noah does so day after day, hoping that the reading will help Allie remember their life together.

The actors portraying these end-of-life characters deliver the most powerful performances of the show. Maryann Plunkett, as the older Allie, compels our compassion as she tackles the fear and confusion of an uncontrollable, failing mind.

Jphn Beasley as the older Noah and Maryann Plunkett as the older Allie, who has Alzheimers and doesn't recall their life together, in "The Notebook." (Liz Lauren)
Jphn Beasley as the older Noah and Maryann Plunkett as the older Allie, who has Alzheimers and doesn't recall their life together, in "The Notebook." (Liz Lauren)

Although Jerome Harmann-Hardeman is the understudy for the elder Noah in this opening production, his patience and passion for his character’s wife is so sympathetic that one can’t imagine anyone else delivering a more riveting performance.

As Noah reads, the story of the married couple unfolds with their younger and middle-aged selves recreated right in front of them. Three performers represent the characters at different stages of life: first as teenagers (Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza), then in their twenties (Joy Woods and Ryan Vasquez), and then as the older couple (Plunkett and Harmann-Hardeman).

Movie Into Musical

Produced by Tony Award-winning producer Kevin McCollum, “The Notebook” features the songs and lyrics of singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, whose compositions are featured on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” The music so well enhances the magical quality of the bond between the lovers that it’s difficult to believe that this is Michaelson’s first stage musical.
(L–R) John Cardoza as younger Noah, John Beasley as the older Noah, and Ryan Vasquez as middle-aged Noah play the male character, who loves a woman in three stages of life in “The Notebook.” (Liz Lauren)
(L–R) John Cardoza as younger Noah, John Beasley as the older Noah, and Ryan Vasquez as middle-aged Noah play the male character, who loves a woman in three stages of life in “The Notebook.” (Liz Lauren)

Indeed, the lyrics and the melodic songs reveal the characters, their motivations, and their desires almost better than the spoken words of the script. The stand-out number is “I Wanna Go Back,” the one which Plunkett sings as the aged Allie. This is a lump-in-the-throat song in which Allie wants so badly to remember what she ate, when she left her home, and where she is at the moment.

Directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, “The Notebook” is a lovely and poignant musical that will lead us to embrace its romanticism and move us to tears. With a set by David Zinn and Brett Banakis, the Chicago Shakespeare stage is transformed into scenes from a lake country, a balcony, and the porch of a home. With choreography by Katie Spelman and lighting by Ben Stanton, a lot of technical talent is on display in the gripping musical.

(L–R) Maryann Plunkett as older Allie, Joy Woods as middle-aged Allie, and Jordan Tyson as younger Allie in “The Notebook.” The actors play three incarnations of Allie at different stages of life. (Liz Lauren)
(L–R) Maryann Plunkett as older Allie, Joy Woods as middle-aged Allie, and Jordan Tyson as younger Allie in “The Notebook.” The actors play three incarnations of Allie at different stages of life. (Liz Lauren)

But it has one minor flaw. With its three incarnations of Allie and Noah and the sudden shifting back and forth through time, it is sometimes difficult to keep the characters and their time periods straight. In some scenes, all six actors are on stage singing together, which can cause confusion.

But even when we are able to place the characters correctly, we still have to wonder about the reason for using so many actors to play the same people. Wouldn’t it have been less confusing to use the same actress and actor with makeup to age them?

That said, “The Notebook” is a profoundly moving new show that focuses on the importance of love and, with its empathetic passion, is guaranteed to engage our emotional attention.

‘The Notebook’ The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater 800 E. Grand Avenue on Navy Pier, Chicago Tickets: 312-595-5600 or ChicagoShakes.com Runs: 2 hours, 15 minutes Closes: Oct. 30, 2022
As an arts writer and movie/theater/opera critic, Betty Mohr has been published in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Australian, The Dramatist, the SouthtownStar, the Post Tribune, The Herald News, The Globe and Mail in Toronto, and other publications.
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