why THE NOTEBOOK is closing on Broadway | the reasons why the stage musical will end this year

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OHMYGOD HEY!

In breaking Broadway news, it was announced earlier today that the stage musical adaptation of THE NOTEBOOK, currently playing at the Schoenfeld Theatre, would close later this year.

The musical, which opened in March, features a score by Ingrid Michaelson and tells the story of Allie and Noah and a love that spanned generations. It received mixed to negative reviews upon opening and its 3 Tony award nominations did not include Best Musical or Best Original Score.

Check out today's new news recap video for my thoughts on this, the reasons behind this show's early closure and where we might expect to see it have a future life...

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ABOUT THE NOTEBOOK

The three-time Tony Award-nominated musical The Notebook, one of the most cherished contemporary love stories, is on Broadway starring 2024 Tony nominees Dorian Harewood and Maryann Plunkett.

The Notebook started as a 1995 bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks, which was then adapted into a 2004 fan-favorite movie starring Academy Award nominees Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. Now, Ingrid Michaelson sets the timeless story to music: the indie singer-songwriter contributes original music and lyrics that breathe new life into the story of lovers Noah and Allie. A Broadway alum, Michaelson appeared as Sonya in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812; now she returns as a first-time Broadway creative.

In The Notebook on Broadway, an elderly man reads a romantic story to a female patient in a nursing home. The chapters that follow unlock a breathtaking love story, whisking the patient and the man back to their youth and providing the details that, as they age, will tragically connect them. Decades earlier, Allie and Noah were star-crossed lovers: Military drafts, family ties, and opposing classes all threatened to separate their love, but they have a once-in-a-lifetime relationship that endures for decades.

Two Broadway powerhouses direct this new production, which premiered at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Michael Greif, a four-time Tony Award nominee for electric productions like Rent and Next to Normal, co-directs The Notebook musical alongside Schele Williams, who is directing the 2024 The Wiz revival. Also on the team is librettist Bekah Brunstetter, who earned three Emmy nominations writing for This Is Us.

The cast includes Tony Award-winner Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie, Dorian Harewood as Older Noah, Joy Woods as Middle Allie, Ryan Vasquez as Middle Noah, Jordan Tyson as Younger Allie, John Cardoza as Younger Noah, Andréa Burns as Mother/Nurse Lori, and Carson Stewart as Johnny/Fin. Playing various roles are Yassmin Alers, Alex Benoit, Chase Del Rey, Hillary Fisher, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman, Dorcas Leung, Happy McPartlin, Juliette Ojeda, Kim Onah, Charles E. Wallace, and Charlie Webb.

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#theatre #musical #broadway

[MelodyFugazzotto]

This is one of those musicals where the generational gap was bridged in the audience. I attended this with my teen as part of a summer workshop group … imagine tweens and teens and parents who also enjoyed a cast talk afterwards. We parents knew the movie and/or 90s novel and my kid at least knew and loved the score. (She didn’t know the story & refused to watch the movie or read the book before watching the musical) Sniffles throughout the musical, both acts. I bought the tissue box since I forgot tissues & the box was shared with the kids to our right and left. We’re sad it’s closing on Broadway - I would have gladly watched it again in Feb when we visit NYC again. Looking forward for the National tour. ❤

[MusicTheatreTheory]

This is a case study. The Notebook had so many things going for it -- subject matter that was perfect for a musical, recognizable IP, a knockout cast. Really the only department in which it falls short in is, like you said, the specificity of the lyrics. (And, I think, too many ballads... "My Days" would hit even harder if it wasn't preceded by so many similar songs.)

I hope, in the future, producers are more hesitant to bring on pop songwriters who don't necessarily understand the differences between theatre music and pop music. There are excellent theatre writers out there, and this show would probably have run longer if it had been written by one of them.

[BruceBossard]

I actually just saw this Wednesday. Put it off till I got a decent discount…it was the only musical I have not seen this season. (I’m 76, my first Broadway show was She Loves Me in 1963 and my husband Bill Russell wrote the book and lyrics to the musical Side Show, as well as a show better known in the Uk: Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens).

I did enjoy The Notebook much more than I expected. Great acting and singing. It just never caught on… so many musicals this season and we are really still getting audiences back after Covid. Not as bad as it was but still people got out of the habit some of us have!

You will be probably happy to know that I live in New York but I heard the news about the closing from you just an hour ago! So congratulations! You beat many of the theater blogs.

Continued success! ❤

[bellarc]

my best friend loves this show so much. she saw it on broadway last month and even got to go back to be an assistant stage manager for a performance. this show means to her what the outsiders means to me (which is a lot). i’m saddened to see it go, but i’m excited to see it on tour when it comes to my city, and maybe even on broadway with my best friend.

[chrissiegaming]

Joy Woods is terrific. I saw her as Cathy Parr in Six a couple years ago.

[hanonondricek]

While it's a bummer this is closing in NYC, I predict this show will do incredible business in regional US theaters - small cast jewel box production with incredible name recognition. Regionals will be fist fighting for the rights to produce this.

[jonnyp_]

I think the Notebook was always going to be easy to criticise: such an iconic movie and it can be seen as quite ‘vanilla’ MT, but I think it’s vanilla MT done brilliantly. I went to the US to see it after falling in love with the score and it was fantastic. Really hope this show has a lot more life

[CanadianChick]

Shout out to the large headed people!

Hopefully the cast gets new gigs quickly!

[Showtunediva]

I hope this comes to Boston on National Tour. This is my favorite Nicholas Sparks book/movie.

[kofender]

I went to see The Notebook reluctantly but I was blown away by it and I've been preaching it ever since. What a fantastic show. I wish it would stay open forever. Great cast and terrific production. I wish it could stay open much, much longer.

[jparadisetheatre]

To the best of my knowledge, The Phantom of the Opera did not have a stop clause in their theatre license, so the Shuberts could not order them to close in favor of a new show coming in at the Majestic and the only other remaining Broadways how with such an arrangement is Chicago at the Ambassador,

[marks]

Saw it in its first week and I’m honestly surprised it’s stayed open for this long

[paulamusik]

Maybe unpopular opinion: but it was one of my favorite cast recordings recently from Broadway and I have been listening to it on repeat for the last months. I don't think the lyrics are superficial at all, I think they are simplistic in a way Haikus are. The whole point of the show is that love is universal and the lyrics and mirroring that topic to me. Yes it is unual for a stage Musical because most of the time the more specific it is the more life it gets but in this case I feel like the vagueness just works and is part of the style. That being said I didn't have the chance yet to see it live on stage. It is a singer songwriter style but contrary to a lot of other contemporary musicals I listened to lately it didn't sound generic to me. But like I said: that is just my personal opinion. Wishing a bright future to the show and all the creatives involved in it, including the cast!

[saira_shariff]

Devastated by this news! 💔 I love this show so much 😢

[dsyauch]

I’m seeing it for the third time in October, I’m so sad but knew this was coming. I am a season ticket holder in Cleveland where the first stop is, planning on going the opening night!

[ChristopherButler-umko]

I'll be in NYC in three weeks. The Notebook just got added to my must see list.

[sparklequeen]

I can't wait for the notebook tour to come to San Diego!!!

[ajbelongia]

That they are closing right before instead of right after Christmas is a bit strange. I am surprised that the show lasted this long after it went home empty-handed at the Tony Awards.

[odilejones]

I think this is an indication of the tides shifting on Broadway. Stage adaptations of famous films aren't guaranteed money makers anymore. I think Back to the Future isn't doing great either. The shows that are maknig money are the shows with a big name either with the score (Alicia Keys- Hell's Kitchen, LMM) or in the cast. (prestige peformers, Audra or Eva, Jeremy) or more likely big names outside of the Theatre sphere (Josh Groban- Sweenry Nicole Scherziner sunset, Hugh Jackman- Music Man etc noe Aui’li and Adam in Cabaret). Sometimes well known shows with revivals have a good chance again (Sweeney, Cats:Jellicle Ball etc). The thing is name/brand recoginition is what's selling. Broadway tickets have become so expensve the GA not heavily immersed in the theatre scene, and those coming from internationally to Broadway want something that they feel is going to be worth their investment. It sucks when great work gets underappreciated. But right now Broadway wants names.

[loobs-kirk]

I saw this in April and enjoyed it but wasn’t blown away. My mum liked it more than me - she didn’t know the story whereas I had seen the film and read the book. Strangely when we saw it, many audience members seemed to be trying to compete as to who could cry the loudest with theatrical wailing followed by laughter. It really detracted from the show.