Carole King’s story is a relatively unknown one, despite her being behind so many huge hits of the 1960s. Beautiful is a wonderful tribute to the ordinary girl who became the female musical powerhouse we now know.
We begin seeing Carole building her writing career with husband Gerry Goffin, alongside their fellow writer rivals, and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, and are treated to pop hit after pop hit. The songs are cleverly transformed from their initial raw concepts into the final published versions performed onstage by some of the great pop acts of the 60s & 70s.
The story soon turns to both the professional and personal struggles both King and Goffin experience in their time are lovers and writers, leading to a final act of King finding herself and producing the seminal Grammy-winning album Tapestry with an onstage performance at Carnegie Hall with us, the very grateful audience.
The mood of the production is instantly established with musician’s loitering around the stage as the audience takes to their seats. A real highlight of the show is how the cast make up the live band and are involved in all elements of the staging including playing multiple parts as well as their instruments.
Mollie Grace-Cutler is sensational as hit-maker Carole King and by far the star of the show – as she should be. Belting out tune after number one tune – you won’t believe how many songs King was involved in writing including You’ve Got a Friend, One Fine Day and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman).
Unfortunately I found the rest of the cast lacking, whether this was the unpolished choreography or weak vocals (though the band music may have contributed to this with many lyrics being drowned out). There is no doubt there is talent in the cast but something didn’t quite sparkle with this particular production. I am a fan of this musical, loving it the previous time I saw it on tour and have delved into King’s back catalogue extensively since, however I felt it made some missteps in cementing King’s legacy. She really does have an incredible story that was perhaps too lightly touched on in this version.
That being said fans of the King/Goffin catalogue will enjoy seeing King’s hit performed on stage, and those who think they aren’t familiar with King’s music will think again once experiencing the songs in this creative setting.
The show is not perfect but it is a great night out which leaves you dancing in your seat, humming as you leave and chatting about how you didn’t know ‘she wrote that one’. I encourage you to see this musical to experience the joy that is the Carole King song-book.
On stage now at Congress Theatre, Eastbourne until Saturday 27th August. Buy tickets here.
Raspberry Sunday 