An epic love story
Experience the sweeping romance of The Notebook, the Tony®-nominated Broadway musical that brings Nicholas Sparks’ beloved story to life on stage. Fall in love all over again as Allie and Noah’s timeless journey unfolds at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
Considered by many to be the pinnacle of romantic stories, The Notebook started as a book by Nicholas Sparks. It then became a movie, and now it’s a Tony®-nominated hit Broadway musical. You may know the story by heart, but you haven’t seen it like this.
“The Notebook hasn’t lost its romantic magic,” says The Guardian. USA Today calls it “life-affirming and ingeniously adapted,” while The New Yorker says it “feels as fresh as the rainwater that drenches the meant-for-each-other lovers.”
What’s it about?
Allie and Noah—a young heiress and a lumber mill worker—fall in love and, despite all obstacles thrown at them over the ensuing decade, finally get together and live happily ever after … almost. Years later, Allie is now in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s and unable to recall much of her past. Noah visits every day, reading to her from a notebook that tells their story. He hopes this will jog her memory to recall their life together.
An imaginative staging
There are three sets of leads—young Allie and Noah, the middle-aged pair, and old Allie and Noah. Sometimes they are on stage at the same time. It may sound confusing, but it works as the story is told in a non-linear way. For example, the middle-aged couple might watch a flashback of their meeting during the summer when they first fell in love. Older Allie watches young and middle-aged Allie, who remind her that all her selves are still with her.
Heartfelt high stakes
Probably the most difficult part of The Notebook is the role Alzheimer’s plays in the story. In a sense, it’s the whole reason for the story. Can Noah help Allie remember their love story? As the musical recounts their lives together, it’s a poignant reminder of how they are now torn apart by this disease. Allie lives with a cloud of confusion about her life. How much can she remember and share with Noah, if only for a few hours?
“It turns out, The Notebook is why we go to the theater,” says Cleveland.com. “To get swept up, forget the world outside and feel everything. There are tears, but laughter and joy too.”
The Notebook will remind you all over again how love has the ability to conquer all. Take the words of the Chicago Tribune: “Absolutely gorgeous, not to be missed.”
January 27–February 8
Segerstrom Hall
Get tickets here.
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