Directed by Patrick Campbell, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical was performed by a full cast ensemble. The opening act includes 17 songs, and the second act features 10 songs, including the showstopper, Beautiful. The show runs through October 19.
The presentation was beautiful, with perfect lighting and a stage decorated in vibrant colors. The sound quality was excellent, and the sets were meticulously handcrafted. As the lights dimmed, the house band, led by Kailey Randazzo and her orchestra, started performing their magic on piano, keyboards, guitars, drums, and trumpets.
This jukebox musical, with a book by Douglas McGrath, tells the life story of singer-songwriter Carole King. The songs were by King’s first husband, Gerry Goffin (Bobby Peterson), and, of course, King (Jess Ader-Ferretti), along with music from legendary songwriters Barry Mann (Michael Krulder) and Cynthia Weil (Courtney O’Shea). All delivered riveting performances.
So Far Away
The show begins in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with the timetable making a quick jump into the 1970s. In 1958, 16-year-old King heads to New York City against her mother’s wishes and arrives at 1650 Broadway, a midtown office building where we are introduced to Don Kirshner, played by Rob Schindlar.
Kirshner, the tough music mogul, listens to Miss King, offers to take her song on, and hopes she has other work available. While at Queens College, she then meets and falls for Goffin. They lock eyes and soon share a kiss, forming a husband-and-wife team as they begin writing both music and lyrics together.
You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling
The play includes many songs we all remember: Will You Love Me Tomorrow, One Fine Day, and Up On the Roof, which filled the air with excitement among the audience.
Alas, by the end of the act, Goffin announces that he needs a little more in life besides King, and she is saddened as she begins her new empty life.
Tapestry
In the second act, King announces her move to Los Angeles, where she’ll be working on her new album, Tapestry, and informs Kirschner that she will be the singer on that album.
Meanwhile, back at Carnegie Hall, another song is a smash hit. The presentation is indeed a happy one, with jokes and innuendos, quick wit, and talent that keeps the audience moving and bopping to the music, as more memorable tunes continue to thunder off the stage to their delight.
The audience, diverse in age and culture, was fully in tune with the show, transcending the era of the songs to strike a universal chord in perfect harmony.
“Beautiful, The Carole King Musical,” on the main stage at CMPAC, 931 Montauk Highway, Oakdale, running through October 19. Tickets available at cmpac.com.
