FAQ: there's a Carole King musical?
- Carolyn Deady
- Nov 7, 2019
- 2 min read
On Monday night, I got the chance to see Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. I've always liked Carole King, how could I not? I absolutely love the soundtrack to the musical, but I had never seen the show live. It's ironic, really. The moment I had expressed to my mother that I wanted to see the show on Broadway in January, they announced that they were closing in October. Let me tell you---it blew me away. I'll put it this way. Within the course of three days, Carole King had made it onto my Broadway bucket-list.
Beautiful tells the story of Carole King's early career. I'm talking 16 year old genius attending Queens College kind of early. King collaborates with a lyricist she meets at school, Gerry Goffin. Together, they write hit songs for producer Donnie Kirshner, including Some Kind of Wonderful, Take Good Care of My Baby, and The Locomotion. Along with collaborating musically, Goffin and King fall in love, start a family, and get married at 17 (King) and 20 (Goffin). Soon enough, the audience is met with Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, who share a similar story to Goffin and King. We go through their careers along side them, making the show extremely personal.
The cast I was able to see was incredible. In fact, I really couldn't find the words ro describe it once the curtain closed, it seemed as though every word I thought of didn't do them justice. Kennedy Caughell, King, is mind blowing. Her range, depth to the character--pretty much anything from her facial features to her vocals--were spot on. Caughell had connected with King in a way that made the entire audience connect with her, as well. It was as if I knew her personally. James D. Gish, Goffin, was brilliant. While Goffin and King are together in the show, Gish told Goffin's story separate from King's. He truly made the audience sympathize with the character, despite what we saw play out on stage. Kathryn Boswell and James Michael Lambert, Weil and Mann, were hysterical. Chances are any time the audience broke into laughter, it was because of their hilarious dynamic.
I'll admit, I was disappointed when I heard the news of Beautiful closing on the great white way. However, the cast I got to see on tour was stellar. I'm so unbelievably grateful that I got to see the cast I did, because if I hadn't, I may not have taken as much out of it as I did. Carole King's story is an amazing example of strength, discipline, and resilience. I'm truly blown away.
Beautiful is currently on tour around the United States. If you get the chance to see it, please do. You'll come out with a sense of gratitude and respect for not only King, but those around you. If theater changes you, it's doing its job. For tickets to Beautiful: On Tour, click this link. I'll leave it the way the show opened, which was my favorite line of the night:
"And you know what's so funny about life? Sometimes it goes the way you want and sometimes it doesn't. And something when it doesn't, you find something beautiful."
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