Review: Beautiful, The Carole King Musical
Spotlight Theatre Company have just completed a highly-successful extended run of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Fortunately, we just managed to buy tickets for one of the additional performances and caught the show. It was definitely worth the wait.
Jukebox musicals are a tried and tested popular format. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a loose re-telling of the early career of Carole King (Gabriella Flowers). The story is told through a catalogue of numbers written by Carole King and her first husband, Gerry Goffin (Todd Jesson), and includes material written by their friends and fellow songwriters Cynthia Weil (Rachel Love) and Barry Mann (Bryn Jenke).
The two song writing duos had many hits across the decade, as their top ten hits were performed by leading artists including The Righteous Brothers, The Drifters, and The Shirelles. The show therefore provided ample opportunities for members of this large ensemble to each have their time ‘in the spotlight.’ Particularly memorable performances included On Broadway (just fabulous), Up on the Roof (this trio really would have made the Drifters proud, with their deft dance moves, sparkling eyes, dapper suits, and great harmonies), You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling (great falsetto), Locomotion (the costume reveal led to a few gasps from the audience near me), and all of the songs performed by the harmonious, elegant, and stylish ‘Shirelles.’
The leading actors were more than up to the challenges of the piece, with each having the opportunity to demonstrate their dramatic and musical prowess. Rachel Love’s Cynthia Weil was suitably stylish, feisty, and funny. Rob Kebba was well-cast, giving a solid performance as the all-important ‘man with the golden ear’ (music publisher and producer Donnie Kirshner). Jesson rose to the challenge of playing the wayward Gerry Goffin, and I particularly enjoyed Jesson’s duets with Flowers. Jenke’s Barry Mann was both amusing and often quite touching—and a highlight of the whole evening was Jenke’s performance of We Gotta Get Out of This Place.
Picture: Gabriella Flowers in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Credit: Vargo Studios)
Picture: The sparkling eyes, slick dance moves, and great harmonies of ‘The Drifters’ (Credit: Vargo Studios).
But it was Gabriella Flowers who really wowed the audience, and held our attention throughout the show. Flowers took us on a highly-believable journey—from Carol Klein to Carole King—as our heroine grew from an enthusiastic and determined (if slightly gauche) teenager, through to becoming a mother, performer, and international artist. It is difficult to hone my list of special moments down to just a few. The acting was spot on—from moments of comedy (we all loved delivery of the ‘who knew I loved research’ line) through to the believable heartbreak of Goffin’s breakdown and betrayals. And Flower’s vocals were just superb, as we hung on every moment of each song. From the powerful (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman through to the poignant Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and special You’ve Got a Friend. We were emotionally drained, and there were ‘happy tears’ from some members of our audience.
So would I recommend the Spotlight Theatre Company’s of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical? Absolutely. The show was funny (just recall Liam Lockwood’s Neil Sedaka), entertaining (those big musical numbers), educational (an interesting reminder of the musical and cultural shifts across a period of around twelve years), sparkly (those costumes!), and a real roller-coaster of emotion. Congratulations to Kim Reynolds (Director/Choreographer) and Matt Pearson (Musical Director, and leader of the 13-piece orchestra) and their fellow creatives for this magical show. A great set and use of the large Halpin Auditorium stage, which meant that the stage team worked hard in this show (Stage Manager, Di Morgan, and props by Ann and Russell Williams). And I really enjoyed the clever ways in which the costumes (Colleen Reynolds, Kim Reynolds and Trish Nissan), and hairstyling (Carole King wigs by Reynolds and Nissan) tracked through the cultural changes and passing of time.
Most of all, I loved being taken back to the 60s (and early 70s), in the company of ‘Carole King’ (Flowers). This was a stellar performance by a leading lady who has great dramatic presence and a fabulous voice. I just hope that wider audiences get to see Gabriella Flowers in this role. Or in any leading role, really.
Verdict: A stellar performance by a fabulous leading lady, supported by a great cast and talented creatives.
The reviewer attended the Friday 4th June 2021 performance.
Banner image credit Creative Futures Photography