Singer jumped at the chance to pen songs for ‘The Notebook’ musical

Several years ago, Kevin McCullom mentioned to Ingrid Michaelson that she might be a good fit for “The Notebook,” the musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 novel and the 2004 movie.

Being a composer, Michaelson went off to compose. Whether McCullom’s remarks were just a tossed-off idea or an offer to write the production’s music and lyrics was irrelevant.

“When Kevin suggested this, I got excited, because I loved the film so much,” says Michaelson, who hit the Billboard charts with “The Way I Am” and the 2014 single “Girls Chase Boys.” “I went home and started writing songs, and kept writing songs, and sending songs, until he hired me.”

The national tour of “The Notebook” plays Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m., with additional 2 p.m. performances Saturday and Sunday.

The enveloping story centers on a young couple, Allie and Noah, driven apart by social class and separate paths. They reunite later in life, their story recounted in flashbacks as an elderly Noah, from a notebook, recites their love journey to an Alzheimer’s-stricken Allie.

Unlike the film, which co-starred Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as young Allie and Noah, and James Garner and Gena Rowlands as the couple in their later years, the musical employs three pairs of actors to portray the couple simultaneously.

The scenes unfold in different eras of their relationship. Performed in the same neighborhood as the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, the musical relates the hardships of a couple growing old together.

Michaelson was welcomed into the project to add poignancy and sentimentality to the universal reality of growing old.

“A lot of the songs came from a place of knowing the story really well,” she says. “It’s knowing their heartbreak, love and loss, and some songs are more specific than others.

One signature song, “The Iron in the Fridge,” is delivered as Noah sees his wife has stored the iron in the refrigerator.

The lyrics: “She left the iron in the fridge / It was the second time that week. I knew that she was getting worse / And the doctors agreed. But there’s so much that we haven’t done / It’s like we’ve only just begun.”

“I never want to mince words. I get right down to it,” Michaelson says. “It’s a song of realization of how little time they have, and to live a life of love and promise and hope, and that song reflects the life they had.”

The power ballad “My Days” has been a standout in the show since its 2022-’24 Broadway run, with about 80 million TikTok posts of singers performing their own takes of the song. Performed on tour by Alysha Deslorieux (Middle Allie), a lyric sample: “Sometimes I feel like I cry without a noise. Sometimes I feel / Like somebody chose my choice.”

It’s a universal story.

“That’s the great thing about our show, with the exception of the very, very young, you can find yourself in the story,” Michaelson says. “You can be sorrowful, joyful or hopeful. When you see the joy and promise of Noah and Allie falling in love, you can’t help but have a grin on your face. We definitely stretch and hold the emotions in all the ways.”

More from Myron’s

The former Cabaret Jazz room, renamed for Smith Center President Myron Martin, is busy with local and national acts. On the short horizon:

— The Lon Bronson Band is back for its customarily sold-out show Friday night.

— Composer and jazz piano great Keiko Matsui headlines at 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Matsui has performed with Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder, and has played at the Blue Note in New York City and Tokyo.

— Ageless, tireless Vegas icon Earl Turner is back with “Return of the Soul Man” at 7 p.m. April 7. The show draws from Turner’s inspirations, among them James Brown, The Beatles, Otis Redding and other acts that became famous on “American Bandstand” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

— At 7 p.m. April 8, Jazz Outreach Initiative’s terrific, all-locals Jazz Vegas Orchestra performs with guest drum legend Jeff Hamilton. We met Hamilton some time ago at Vic’s Supper Club, and for more about that haunt, read on …

This place is jazzed

Vic’s, just across from The Smith Center on Promenade Place, has been named one of the best jazz venues in the world by DownBeat Magazine. This is the bible for jazz performers and aficionados.

“This honor reflects our commitment to preserving the spirit of jazz while creating an unforgettable atmosphere for our guests,” co-owner Sue Lowden says. “We are proud to be recognized among the world’s premier venues and grateful to the extraordinary artists, team members, and loyal patrons who make each evening here special.”

The place has also recently been renamed Vic’s Supper Club, which I believe is its fourth name since opening in 2022. But under any moniker, it’s a very cool, Manhattan-esque scene. Get there.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.