Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Archives

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

24Jun

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Taking on the life story and songbook of two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Carole King is no easy task - but this Altrincham Garrick Playhouse production, fronted by the incomparable Madeleine Healey, is a sure-fire hit. With high-production value, a top-tier company and imaginative staging, this feel-good jukebox musical is truly Some Kind of Wonderful. Director Joseph Meighan seamlessly moves through the nearly thirty musical numbers with simplicity and pace, whilst still managing to craft the emotional story beats between the numbers. Stage management ensures the scenes transition efficiently, as set pieces and decoration create the various environments for this biographical story. The live camera work during One Fine Day tapped into the Jamie Lloyd’s Andrew Lloyd Webber r...

<strong>Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Liverpool Empire</strong>

16Nov

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Liverpool Empire

It actually felt like I spent an evening at Carnegie Hall, instead of the Liverpool Empire last night. Beautiful tells the story of Carole King. How she became who she was, the peaks and troughs of her career as a songwriter and how that led to her becoming one of the most instantly recognisable artists of all time. The show starts with her famous performance at the prestigious Carnegie Hall, in New York City in June of 1971. We then get taken back to a teenage Carole Klein, writing songs and begging her mother to allow her into the city (from their home in Brooklyn) to try and sell her songs. She manages to sell the song which makes it to number 106 on the Billboard Charts when sung by Bobby Vee. We go through her career and relationship with Gerry Goffin, their friendship and competit...

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Blackpool Grand

20Oct

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Blackpool Grand

Leicester Curve’s production of Beautiful completely changes the original blueprint of the musical. This staging is a cool, stripped-back version focusing on the music and sound that shaped one of the most successful singer-songwriters. At the start, we find an eager sixteen-year-old Carole Klein (yes, that’s right), trying to prove to her mother that she can be more than just a music teacher. The audience follows Carole through her song catalogue, all the way to her infamous performance of the Grammy award winning album Tapestry at Carnegie Hall. Set mostly in a recording studio, the stage easily shifts to more intimate spaces with simple furnishings and choreographed movements. It’s modern and almost metallic, with a giant “beautiful” sign adorning it at beginning and end. With the...

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Palace Theatre

12Oct

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Palace Theatre

Behind every record-breaking, chart-topping hit is a songwriter with poetical flair to spare. This jukebox musical pays homage to 60s icon Carole King, the multi-talented musician and composer of timeless classics from ‘The Loco-Motion’ to ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’. ‘Beautiful’ follows the musically-rich career of King (Molly-Grace Cutler) as she pursues a dream to enrich people’s lives with her original songs. As an autobiographical piece, Douglas McGrath’s book reveals how King’s life experiences are reflected in her far-reaching creations. The story itself may be thin, but the versatile cast proves that there is no need to overembellish a straightforward narrative when it’s the soundtrack that takes centre stage. Carole’s pop tunes are interspersed with soul and so...