Alysha Deslorieux and Ken Wulf Clark Photo by Roger Mastroianni

A national tour of The Notebook is giving fans of the work around the country a chance to experience the decades-long love between Noah and Allie. Happily, the show succeeds at delivering the romance of a pre-destined, enduring love that worked in print and on screen (musical is based on the novel, not the film). Michaelson's adult-contemporary pop style songs are well conceived to advance the plot and to reflect the characters' pulsating emotions, even if there is a kind of sameness to the score, with just few of the songs standing out.

The story is told largely in flashback, with the device of aging Noah reading the story of their love, recorded by Allie in a notebook she kept, to Allie who is suffering from severe dementia in a senior care center. In the book and movie the fact that the elder couple are in fact the same as those young romantics in the story is withheld for a while, potentially adding an element of surprise. The stage musical makes it all clear from the start, and the program lists the characters of Older Noah, Middle Noah, Younger Noah, Older Allie, Middle Allie, and Younger Allie. But knowing that scheme doesn't really detract from the satisfaction in this well told tale. Besides, I venture that many readers of the book and viewers of the movie had it figured out well before that scribe's hand was officially tipped.

Older Allie's dementia leaves her greatly agitated, and listening to Noah–whom she does not recognize as her husband–read the love story, which she also doesn't recognize, is one of the few ways to calm her. And so, we watch and listen as Allie and Noah meet as teenagers in a rural community where Allie and her parents are spending the summer. Noah is a school dropout who works at his father's lumberyard. Allie is drawn to painting, while preparing to attend college under great pressure from her affluent parents to pursue an education and marry well. Upon meeting, a bolt of electricity strikes both boy and girl and they fall deeply in love, but it is equally clear that the differences in their social class and aspirations will conspire against them.

Noah and Allie bond as young sweethearts in their younger versions, are separated, as expected, and given another chance of finding happiness together in their Middle versions, which takes place ten years after their first meeting. There are times, as Older Noah reads the story to his wife, that both Younger and Middle Noah, or Allie, or all four, appear together on stage, allowing the audience to experience the continuity of a lifespan, as it rises and falls to negotiate waves of adversity and joy. I approached the show with some skepticism about this device, but Brunstetter's book, as directed by Greif and Williams, makes this a fluidly moving way to present the story. To be honest, the narrative is not very complicated; the depiction of how we view our lives as we are in the process of living them, looking back at our memories, and trying to anticipate the unknown that lies ahead add depth to The Notebook that would otherwise be lacking.

It should be noted that the setting in the musical departs somewhat from both original novel and the film. For one thing, while the novel takes place in Sparks' native North Carolina and the movie in South Carolina, giving a Southern feel to the settings and cultural norms, the musical is set, according to the program, in an unnamed Mid-Atlantic state. The time frame has been moved up from starting out in the early 1940s to starting out in the late 1960s, perhaps to allow historic references (such as the Vietnam War) to fall within the life experience of a greater portion of its audience. The only thing lost in this time-change is the chance to provide glamorous 1940s-era fashions for younger Allie (which are standouts in the film), but Paloma Young's costume designs work well to capture the eras covered by the show.

The touring company is very well cast. Sharon Catherine Brown and Beau Gravitte as Older Allie and Older Noah, respectively, both convey the pain of experiencing your decline or the decline of a loved one, as age takes its toll, with Brown bringing authenticity to her depiction of a woman caught in the throes of dementia and Gravitte connecting with the deep well of tenderness he feels for his wife, as well as the moments when the loss becomes too much to bear. While their presence on stage through most of the show is meaningful, the roles call for little singing. When they do finally connect as Noah and Allie in "I Know," the depth of their emotions is heartrending.

Younger Noah is played by Kyle Mangold and Middle Noah is played by Ken Wulf Clark; both convey the character's good-hearted and open-faced nature, along with a sense of country living. Clark has a notably broader physique than Mangold, which can be attributed to a stint in the service and the hard labor he has invested in reconstructing a gracious old house, which is a touchstone of the narrative. Each has a moment to shine that relates to that house, Mangold singing "Blue Shutters" and Clark in "Leave the Lights On." Together with Gravitte, all three Noahs deliver the heartfelt "Iron in the Fridge."

Alysha Deslorieux conveys the fraught emotions and weighty choice that Middle Allie faces, and is particularly impressive singing "What Happens" in the first act and "My Days" in Act II, both matching her powerful voice with her ability to express a character's feelings. Chloe Cheers is wonderful as Younger Allie, conveying a buoyancy in experiencing first love, while dodging the reality of her parents' disapproval. She shines, with Deslorieux's backing, in "If This Is Love," going from skeptical to jubilant in the space of one song. Other standouts in the cast include Anne Tolpegin as Allie's controlling mother, who, belatedly, offers her perspective in "Don't You Worry," and Connor Richardson as Johnny, an eager physical therapist who lends support to Older Noah, and provides comic relief.

The Notebook has thoughtfully devised scenic and lighting elements, with David Zinn and Brett J. Banakis's sliding panels and drops working in tandem with Ben Stanton's lighting design to move between the older, younger, and middle periods of the couples' life with the fluidity of meandering memories. Nevin Steinberg's sound design and Lucy MacKinnon's video design further enhance the sound and look of the show, which does include the iconic kiss-in-the-rain scene that is no doubt embedded in the mind of anyone who saw the movie. The minimal choreography is by Katie Spelman. The orchestra, conducted by music director Tina Faye, is well suited to deliver the score's emotional scope, and the acoustics at the Ordway are well balanced between vocals and instrumentals–an improvement in the facility that also was notable at the recent The Addams Family.

Looking over the roster of musicals that have been successful on Broadway, one finds few that are out and out love stories–not comedies with romantic couplings, but love stories–that have been commercially successful. Even those that received rave reviews and awards, such as Light in the Piazza and The Bridges of Madison County failed at the box office. Thus, it is not surprising that The Notebook–which is not of the same caliber as those two examples, but is still a well-constructed and staged show with the benefit of a famous title–teetered to an early close.

The Notebook is, though, a great example of how musical theatre can be entertaining and moving while in the service of a variety of stories and genres. Based on the enthusiastic reception it received from the audience at the Ordway, there are many theatregoers in agreement.

The Notebook runs through November 30, 2025, at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul MN. For tickets and information, please call 651 224-4222 or visit www.ordway.org. For information on the tour, visit www.notebookmusical.com.

Book: Bekah Brunstetter, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks; Music and Lyrics: Ingrid Michaelson; Direction: Michael Grief and Schele Williams; Choreography: Kate Spelman; Scenic Design: David Zinn & Brett J. Banakis; Costume Design: Paloma Young; Lighting Design: Ben Stanton; Sound Design: Nevin Steinberg; Hair and Wig Design: Mia Neal; Video Design: Mia Neal; Orchestrations: John Clancy & Carmel Dean; Co-Vocal Arrangements: Ingrid Michaelson & Carmel Dean; Music Supervision and Arrangements: Carmel Dean; Music Director: Tina Faye; Music Contractor: Kimberlee Wertz; Casting: The Telsey Office, Patrick Goodwin, C.S.A., Production Stage Manager: Justin Myhre.

Cast: Nick Brogan (swing), Sharon Catherine Brown (Older Allie), Chloë Cheers (Younger Allie), Ken Wulf Clark (Middle Noah), Jesse Corbin (Lon/others), Alysha Deslorieux (Middle Allie), Beau Gravitte (Older Noah), Jerome Harmann-Hardeman (Father/Son/others), Rayna Hickman (Nurse Joanne/others), Makena Jackson (Sarah/Granddaughter/others), Kyle Mangold (Younger Noah), Caleb Mathura (Fin/Grandson/others), Aaron Ramey (swing), Shari Washington Rhone (swing), Connor Richardson (Johnny), Samantha Rios (swing), Grace Ohwensadeyo Rundberg (Georgie/Concierge/others), Emily Somé (swing), Anne Tolpegin (Mother/Nurse Lori), Joe Verga (swing).