Beau Gravitte on the Universal Heart of ‘The Notebook’

“The Notebook” is the new hit musical sweeping the nation, based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks that inspired the iconic film. At its core, it is a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love, sharing the lifetime connection between Allie and Noah, two people from different worlds who defy the forces threatening to pull them apart.

I sat down with Beau Gravitte, who plays Older Noah in the production, marking his Ordway debut. Beau immediately embraced the role, confirming that he approached the script completely fresh, having consciously avoided the film and book. This approach, he explains, allowed him to focus entirely on the script, which he found “so good.”

As a performer on his first national tour, Beau reflects on the power of a committed audience and the essential truth that love’s narrative resonates universally. Here he discusses the unique demands of the role, the wisdom of embracing what “bangs around inside your heart,” and why this story, which originated 30 years ago, continues to speak to everyone who has ever held an idea of love in their heart.

Photo by Roger Mastroianni

Q: Before joining this production, what was your existing familiarity with the story that inspired the show?

BEAU GRAVITTE (BG): This is going to sound strange, but I am one of the very few people who have never seen the film and have not read the book, so I came to this completely new. Of course, I knew the story and you hear about the love story, but I had not seen the film.

My origin material is Bekah Brunstetter’s script, which I like. Once I was in the audition process, I consciously avoided the film and any other source material. What I had was so good, and it was all I needed. She did such an amazing job making this into a play with music. The character is so well-drawn. It’s tricky because you’re dealing with big issues, and when you do that, you have to be so specific and truthful about them in a minute way.

Q: Why do you believe this particular story continues to resonate so powerfully with modern audiences?

BG: The story stands up because it’s a love story that is written in such a careful and truthful way. It will still be standing 30 years from now. I’ve been asked who this play is for, and it’s really for anyone who has experienced love or even just has the idea of love in their head or their heart.

The play explores love in many ways, especially through the three ages of the couple. You have the younger couple showing the bloom of new attraction, the middle couple who are facing serious decisions that have consequences for the rest of your life, when a romance becomes real and consequential. Then there are the older two, who are dealing with all of those consequences, and the immense bad luck of him losing her to the disease of Alzheimer’s.

It’s done in such a specific, careful way that it’s truly beautiful. I’ve had so many people come up to me afterward who have been touched by the disease, and the story has profoundly mattered to them. It’s partly why I became an actor: You want to be involved in a project that has enough integrity and gravitas actually to make a difference in people’s lives. This play does that.

Q: And you get to spend time with Sharon Brown, who plays your Allie. How is that every night?

BG: She is wonderful, and I fall for her every night all over. There is so much to love, and this guy [Noah, his character] loves Allie without boundaries, it’s a bottomless, endless love. It’s easy to play opposite Sharon because she is so generous and so truthful right there on the line with me. She never falls away, she never takes a break, she never fakes it. She’s a beautiful partner, and I can’t imagine doing this thing without her.

I think of the performance as a river: I walk on the stage alone, and I always take a moment before and think, “Someone out there needs to hear this story. Let’s do this tonight for that person.” I step on the stage, and the river just takes me where it takes me. Before I know it, we’re singing the coda at the end, and the play is over.

Photo by Roger Mastroianni

Q: Every show has one. What is that singular, electrifying moment in the production that you, as a performer, cannot wait for the audience to witness nightly?

BG: That moment is when it starts to rain on stage. It’s so beautiful. I enter right after that scene, so I get to watch the whole thing unfold every night. The Middle Noah and Middle Allie are so beautiful together on stage during the rain. It’s a very beautiful part of the story, it’s exquisitely staged, and it’s technically quite amazing how they make it happen. It’s really something.

I have a moment before the show, I’m listening to the audience, and I’m always thinking, someone out there needs to hear this story. Let’s do this tonight for that person who needs to hear this story.
–Beau Gravitte

Q: I would be amiss not to mention I am a fan of your wife [Debbie Gravitte], who is also a performer. What is the single best piece of advice you have for married couples, especially those navigating the challenges and rewards of the arts?

BG: You have to understand that the demands of our business are so mercurial. You must have flexibility because you might need to go overseas tomorrow. That can be difficult.

However, when your partner is in the business, they completely understand what your fears and your needs are. They get it; you don’t have to explain it. Sometimes you’re standing there with the coat over your arm while your partner goes on stage, and sometimes they’re standing there with yours. You have to sort of park your ego.

Early on, Debbie was singing at Carnegie Hall, and I had her coat over my arm. I thought, “Are you going to be OK with this?” because this is going to happen. You just have to make sure it shifts around, and you get your time on stage. It works out if you love each other deeply and are willing to sacrifice when you need to. We’ve been through both extremes, rolling around looking for money and rolling around in money, and you just have to make it through both. It’s all a blessing.

Photo by Roger Mastroianni

Q: Given your experience in the industry, what is the most essential advice you would give to a young actor who is currently sitting in the Ordway audience dreaming of performing on that stage?

BG: Get enough sleep. Seriously, you have to study hard. But beyond the training, you need to stop trying to figure out what they want. I spent so many years trying to be who I thought they wanted me to be, and that is all bullshit.

You just need to figure out what you are, and when the stars align, that will be needed. The way to figure that out is to go to class, go to plays, listen to music, and live your life big. Pay attention to what turns you on and what bangs around inside your heart. You must feature that in your work. Don’t waste any time trying to do anything else. You want to be kind and do good in the world, but you must really do what you love, because what is the point otherwise?

Q: Minnesota Monthly is dedicated to the Spirit of Minnesota. How does the culture of a city influence the atmosphere of a touring show?

BG: That’s a really interesting question, and no one’s ever asked me that. It’s actually hard to distinguish with this piece, because the story is so universal. The laughs are in the same place; the tears are in the same place. The audience response at the end is always overwhelming, it’s instant, vocal, and visceral.

It’s not just polite clapping, like people standing up because it’s easier to get out. It’s genuine. With this particular play, the emotions are so big and so shared that I don’t know if I can delineate differences between cities because it really is so universal.