Natalie Weiss as Carole King, with the ensemble of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.
“It’s 1964! And we’re rock ‘n’ roll writers!” exclaims a character roughly halfway through the musical. We don’t have to wonder what an amazing time it must have been. Half of the people packed into Olney Theatre Center’s production of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” (directed by Amy Anders Corcoran with a book by Douglas McGrath), lived through it and those who did not are transported by rotating set designs, neon lights, and hippie outfits to the 1960s and 1970s world of pop, rock, and singer-songwriting. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2014, was nominated for numerous awards, and won two Tonys. The music and lyrics by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil makes “Beautiful” a nostalgic journey for lovers of that era, while offering theatre enthusiasts a deeper insight into the singer’s transformation from Klein to King and from her teenage years to Carnegie Hall.
…a nostalgic journey for lovers of that era, while offering theatre enthusiasts a deeper insight into Carole’s transformation from Klein to King…an evening of great music, exceptional talent, and joyous laughter.
This jukebox musical primarily traces King’s journey from selling her first song, “It Might As Well Rain Until September” at 16, to her marriage and music partnership with her ex-husband, the late Gerry Goffin, and their inevitable divorce. The metamorphosis occurs when she thinks that she is at her lowest—“28, with two kids and no husband.” She goes on to marry three other times (not included in the musical), sing, write, play, arrange her own music, and receive four Grammys for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
When Carole King (Natalie Weiss) announces to her then boyfriend, Gerry Goffin (Michael Perrie Jr.), that she is pregnant, he gets on one knee and proposes to her immediately. Even though we don’t feel the emotions in their somewhat mechanical acting, we feel it in their music. In that moment, Weiss begins to play and sing “Some Kind of Wonderful.” When her voice catches, her fiancé picks up where she left off singing romantically, “There’s so much I want to say, but the right words don’t come my way…” The early scenes paint a beautiful image of a young, new family doing their best to make things work. Initially supported by a committed man, King is challenged by the responsibilities of a teenage mom working at 1650 Broadway while caring for an infant. Yet, they manage to create Billboard hits like “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” Weiss’ talent shines in other notable numbers including “One Fine Day,” (sung with Janelle and back up singers), “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve Got A Friend” (sung with Bobby Smith, Calvin McCullough, and Nikki Mirza), and “Beautiful” (Weiss and Company). Though an extremely masterful and talented singer, vocalist, pianist, American Idol Season 4 star, and popular YouTuber (Breaking Down the Riffs), she is not entirely convincing in her representation of a teenage Carole King.
As the musical progresses, the cracks in their relationship and Gerry’s brain start to show. He’s finally writing music full time but he prefers to be “out at night, in the clubs, hearing the groups” rather than at home with his wife and children. He’s wondering what he can say in a three-minute song and, by the time they’re on holiday in Vermont, he’s had the first of his many outbursts, later informing her of a premeditated affair in the middle of an NBC production. If he doesn’t quite hit the mark acting out the romance, Pierre Jr. does an amazing job portraying his character’s further mental deterioration to the point of no return.
Along with Pierre Jr., the star actors in this production are the couple’s friends and talented competitors, Nikki Mirza who plays the stylish and beautiful, Cynthia Weil and the equally talented Calvin McCullough who plays the hypochondriac and retiring womanizer, Barry Mann. From the moment Mirza walks on stage to boldly demand a live audition, we are enthralled by her performance and thrilling voice. Mirza has a seemingly palpable on-stage connection with McCullough. The side story of this duo adds humor to the musical and keeps things interesting in what would have been an otherwise slow storyline. They provide a friendly rivalry and work on their own top hits, such as “On Broadway” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin.'” The couple provides support for King during her marriage ordeal while still trying to get their own marriage off the ground. Donna Migliaccio and Bobby Smith perform well as Genie Klein and as Don Kirshner, respectively.
The costume designs for the main characters are true to the original Broadway production which ran close to 2,500 performances between 2014 and 2019. In the bookend scenes, we see Weiss in a similar, blue and white patterned, floor-length dress that Alejo Vietti selected for Jessie Mueller on Broadway. Costume Designer Kendra Rai does an exceptional job in the outfits for the singing groups. The Drifters (Quadry Brown, Montel B. Butler, Ian Anthony Coleman, Jay Frisby) appear in embroidered, glittery suits of varying colors. The female singing groups razzle and dazzle in white and gold knee-length dresses with shoulder veils and glittery silver strap heels; sleeveless pink dresses with stockings and pink ankle boots; and 60s slingback pumps, color combos of teal, black and white leggings and sweaters. It should be noted that Brown and Butler are outstanding in their performance of “Some Kind of Wonderful.” They sing from the depth of their souls with such feeling and visible emotion that they own the stage—even without the spotlights, all eyes would be on them.
Ashleigh King’s choreography prowess shines in “On Broadway,” performed by The Drifters, and similarly in “The Locomotion,” performed by Ariana Caldwell as Little Ava. Wig designers Larry Peterson and Alia Radbaugh’s do an exception job on The Shirelles in “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” (Simone Brown, Ariana Caldwell, Kaiyla Gross, Kalen Robinson) in which the hairstyles are characteristically 60s and akin to the ones in “Dreamgirls.” Sound design by Matthew Rowe and lighting designer by Colin K. Bills, along with the phenomenal music direction by Christopher Youstra and his orchestra, all enrich the production. There were some small, technical issues on opening that have likely already been addressed.
“Beautiful: The Carol King Musical” at Olney Theatre Center promises an evening of great music, exceptional talent, and joyous laughter.
Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.
“Beautiful: The Carol King Musical” runs through August 25, 2024 at Olney Theatre Center, Roberts Mainstage, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online.
