‘The Notebook’ Finds New Notes, Tears at the National Theatre
Bring tissues. The Notebook is now at Washington’s National Theatre. This beautiful story proves that love stories are worth singing about… and crying over.
Based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel and the beloved film it inspired, the musical follows Allie and Noah, two young people from very different worlds whose summer romance grows into a lifelong love story despite family pressure, separation, circumstance, and the cruel passage of time.
The production’s greatest strength is the way it weaves Allie (played by Makena Jackson, Alysha Deslorieux & Yassmin Alers) and Noah (Kyle Mangold, Ken Wulf Clark & Beau Gravitte) at three different ages into one unfolding story.
Young, Middle and Older Allie and Noah aren’t simply separate chapters; their stories overlap and echo one another, allowing audiences to see first love, adult choices, and lasting devotion unfolding simultaneously.
The story begins in the 1940s, when privileged Southern belle Allie falls for Noah, a working-class local. Their romance is cut short by her family, and years later Allie finds herself engaged to another man when she and Noah reunite. The old feelings return, forcing her to choose between the life expected of her and the love she never quite left behind.
Meanwhile, in a nursing home, an elderly Noah reads their story to a woman whose memory is fading. As the pieces come together, the familiar romance becomes something more poignant: a story about memory, devotion, and choosing love again and again.
While the songs aren’t anything you’ll find yourself humming on the metro, the score does give this familiar story fresh emotion and intimacy. And yes, there are butterflies. Plenty of them.
But The Notebook ‘s biggest success is its tenderness. This isn’t simply a story about falling in love, but about staying in love and what remains when youth and memory begin to fade.
Maybe you first fell for Allie and Noah on the page or screen. Maybe — very dubious maybe — you’re hearing of this story for the first time. Either way, you’re not going to want to miss this sweeping, sentimental and beautifully sung love story that has earned its place among the classics.
Bring tissues.
The Notebook is on stage at the National Theatre’s Broadway at the National through August 30th. Runtime is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including intermission. Recommended for ages 13 and up.