Neil Diamond made theatergoers at opening night of Broadway's A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical feel so good, so good!
The New York native surprised fans and audience members at the Broadhurst Theatre — where the new musical about his life opened Sunday night — with an impromptu performance of his hit song "Sweet Caroline."
It marks the first time Diamond, 81, has performed in his hometown since 2017 and was a rare appearance for the music icon, who announced in 2018 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and would be retiring from concert touring.
Ahead of his surprise curtain-call singalong, Diamond walked the red carpet with his wife, Katie McNeil, and entered the theater to a standing ovation. When he took the mic to sing "Sweet Caroline" from his box seat at the Broadhurst, fans cheered and sang along to the 1969 pop classic.
Other stars in attendance for opening night included Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, Clive Davis and Jane Krakowski, among others.
Following the performance, Diamond met with the show's crew, creative team and cast led by Will Swenson, who stars as the "Forever In Blue Jeans" singer, and Robyn Hurder, who plays Diamond's second wife, Marcia Murphey.
One of the last times that the legendary singer-songwriter performed "Sweet Caroline" was at a Boston Red Sox game in June.
When announcing his retirement from touring, Diamond expressed that although Parkinson's disease had "made it difficult to travel and perform on a large scale," he would remain an active musician.
Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder with no cure. Symptoms include tremors, stiffness and difficulty balancing, walking and coordinating movement.
After making his diagnosis public, he wrote in a statement: "I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come. My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been 'so good, so good, so good' thanks to you."
A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical currently plays an open-ended run at New York City's Broadhurst Theatre.
