On Friday night, director/choreographer Deidre Goodwin's energetic production of BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical received enthusiastic responses from its large opening night audience at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
As a biographical jukebox musical, the play tracks Ms. King's ascendancy from her early songwriting works written mainly for other artists to perform, to her solo breakthrough album "Tapestry" that solidified her place in the songwriters' pantheon. There are countless songs in an assortment of musical genres performed by the likes of Neil Sedaka, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Little Eva, and The Righteous Brothers.
It also tracks Ms. King's [Julia Bogdanoff] artistic partnership and fractious marriage to Gerry Goffin [Elliott Andrews] and their competitive friendship with Barry Mann [Matt Dengler] and Cynthia Weil [Sarah Goeke] under the mentorship of producer/mogul Don Kirshner [Dan Fenaughty]...the bones of the story that move the plot forward.
The episodic structure requires numerous scene and costume changes [Seth Howard and Dustin Cross in top form], with an "Ensemble" company each portraying several artists in some dazzling production numbers, and prompting some audience members to remark "I didn't know she wrote that one" throughout the evening.
And while we do get caught up in the biographical incidents that inform many of the songs' lyrics, and root for Ms. King to succeed professionally and personally, we're there mostly for the music.
Music Director Joel Jones and his off-stage orchestra give attention to adroit renderings of each song and for musical segues between the scenes, pushing the action forward and guiding the singers to deliver impressive interpretations. -- Take your pick for favorites, but it's Carole King you came to hear; so..."So Far Away", or "Chains", or "It's Too Late", or "[You Make Me Feel Like] A Natural Woman", or "I Feel the Earth Move", or "Beautiful"...You can't go wrong!
