Wheaton alum Nick Fradiani ’08 plays Neil Diamond on Broadway
“American Idol” winner stars in “A Beautiful Noise” musical
Growing up the son of a professional musician, Nick Fradiani ’08 was introduced to the music of Neil Diamond as a young child when his parents took him to his first ever concert to see the singer in Connecticut. Now, Fradiani is playing Neil Diamond on Broadway.
Fradiani stars as Neil Diamond—Then in the musical “A Beautiful Noise,” which chronicles the legendary singer’s life and features his hits “Sweet Caroline,” “America,” “Cracklin’ Rosie” and others.
Fradiani, who majored in U.S. history at Wheaton College and is the 2015 “American Idol” winner, began playing the singer at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City on Oct. 31, 2023. He has been a part of the show since it opened in December 2022 as an alternate for the role.
Many recent media outlets have featured stories about Fradiani’s journey, including People Magazine, NBC’s “New York Live” and Broadway Buzz, to name just a few.
When asked by “New York Live” host Sara Gore whether performing on Broadway was on his bucket list, Fradiani said that it was not and talked about how he had never performed in musical theater until his role in “A Bronx Tale” in 2019.
“It’s just crazy how it all fell into place and I love it. It’s a lot different than what I normally do. But, I just love the acting side of it. I put a lot of work into that. And I feel good about what I’m doing,” Fradiani said.