‘A Beautiful Noise’ Performer Has All The Right Moves
‘A Beautiful Noise’ Performer Has All The Right Moves
By Tia Carol Jones
Dance has always been a part of J’Kobe Wallace’s life. He remembers dancing with his mom and brother on Sundays, playing music and dancing around the house while they cleaned. Dance is something that he always had in his body and he is glad that it transfers into the career that he chose: theatre.
Wallace joined his high school theatre troupe as a way to get more socialized after moving back to the States. Since then, he never left the stage, it became a part of his life. In college, he did musical theatre during the summer while studying music. Eventually, theatre became his career. He feels lucky to be able to do it as long as he has been doing it. Wallace said he loves being able to tell stories, watching and consuming art. For him, it is about the impact of art and how it can impact others.
“To be able to give someone else, an audience member, that same impact that I receive when I read, or watch, or listen to art, is really a privilege and an honor,” he said.
Wallace is in “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical,” which will be at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through Nov. 30th. The musical tells the story of Neil Diamond and features his songs. Wallace is part of the ensemble called The Noise, and he is the co-dance captain.
He said he was really excited to be part of the first National Tour of the musical since it was on Broadway. He said the audition process was both rigorous and fun. He said it felt like taking a dance class, where those auditioning were encouraged to show up authentically, without being performative.
Wallace said being part of The Noise and being a co-dance captain is cool. He gets to be on stage every night and represents the physical manifestation of Neil Diamond’s musical thoughts and processes, he also is in charge of maintaining the choreography and movement in the show, which he describes as stellar. He said his favorite number in the show to perform is “Cherry, Cherry.” He said the story of it is really fascinating and the dance moves are reflective of the frenetic energy of the 1960’s, which is when the song was written.
“All the dancing that we’re encouraged to do is improvisational and it’s super cool to be able to flail my body around in such a controlled, stylized way that was reminiscent of that dance style. I just love dance style,” he said.
Wallace said he hopes the audience leaves the show with a sense of clarity about a person they idolized for so long and might not have a chance to know more about while Diamond was at the height of his career. He said Diamond’s career ended earlier than he anticipated because of a Parkinson’s diagnosis, and he never got to have a farewell tour. Wallace said it is an honor to be able to tell Diamond’s story in a tour of the musical.
Wallace said he hopes the audience is able to enjoy the show and its concert like setting and feel the heart of the story. He said that A Beautiful Noise is Diamond’s way of telling his story the way he wanted to tell it. Wallace said audiences can relate to the story and he has been told by people in the audience after the show how important it was for them.
The musical has raised $750,000 for the Parkinson’s Foundation. For more information, visit www.abeautifulnoisethemusical.com/partners. Wallace is also spearheading the tour’s Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS fundraiser, which will take place on Nov. 24th at the Sidetrack in Lakeview. Tickets can be purchased at the venue.
Tickets for A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical cost $70.00 per ticket to $190.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. To purchase, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
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