Everyone knows the name “Carole King.” For many of us, the legendary American musician/singer/songwriter’s copious output spanning six decades (writing and co-writing over 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts) formed the soundtrack of our lives. If there were a Guinness world record for most popular songs ever written/co-written, she’d likely win by a mile.
What we don’t know (at least most of us don’t) is how many of our favorites – popularized in the 1960s by superstars like Aretha Franklin, The Drifters, and The Shirelles – were actually composed by Carole King and her songwriting partner/husband Gerry Goffin. How the musically (and generally) gifted Jewish girl from Brooklyn (born Carol Joan Klein, with perfect pitch) through sheer chutzpah and drive, sold her first song at age 16 to Don Kirshner at 1650 Broadway, the quintessential pop-song music factory of the day.
Carole King’s early career and personal life challenges — along with her and Gerry Goffin’s competition, and eventual deep friendship, with their fellow young song-writing team of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann — are the focus of BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL. Presented by The Wick Theatre & Museum Club through February 16. The musical showcases an entire songbook, some 30 songs in all (though there are a couple reprises), of both Carole King and Cynthia Weil co-creations. Not surprising, as the musical, whose Book is by Douglas McGrath, credits both teams — Gerry Goffin & Carole King, and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil — for “Words and Music.”
So while the primary storyline is about Carole’s journey, because she worked so closely, and even vacationed, with Barry and Cynthia, we get to experience highlights of their early career and long-budding romance, as well. (We even “meet” Neil Sedaka [Aaron Atkinson] singing “Oh Carol,” inspired by their brief dating experience.)
It would probably take four musicals to get through not all, but a lot more, of Carole King’s output and her four marriages. Keeping to her early years of meteoric rise from 1958 – 1971, culminating in her renowned personal album, “Tapestry,” and first Carnegie Hall success (where we watch her perform “So Far Away” as the musical’s opening number and close it with “Beautiful”) was a wise decision. It also provides a satisfying, feminist fairy tale ending: The gifted musician finally embraces her own voice as songwriter and vocalist, sitting tall (always at the piano), proud to share her inner beauty with the world.
Make sure to read multi-award-winning Jeffrey B. Moss’s A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR, “The Beauty (and Chutzpah) of Youth,” in your program. Where the show’s director gives a rundown of music superstars — like Taylor Swift, Adele, and Stevie Wonder — who wrote their first songs while still in their early teens. Not to mention Mozart and Mendelssohn. Ending with, “Carole King wrote her first song at 15. And like all these musicians, before and after her, Carole King found her ‘beauty’ in her music. No, not the kind of beauty you can see in a mirror, Carole says, this is the kind of beauty that gives you a ‘purpose in life…makes your life beautiful. I feel beautiful there.’”
We can all appreciate her sharing her beauty with us. As a divorced mother of two, fighting for her vision in a man’s world, executive managing producer Marilynn A. Wick identifies with Carole’s struggles. She also knows her audience, confident they will revel in the period nostalgia and “magical rush” invoked by so many pop classics.
And she found the perfect Carole King-actor for the role! Monet Sabel practically made a career out of enacting Carole King ever since she, too, persevered and ultimately achieved her dream of playing Carole in the 2021 National/Broadway tour. Sabel sounds like Carole King and even resembles her (especially the hair, thanks to Bobby Zlotnik wig design). She says she’s spent “the better part of the past five years performing this glorious show around the country.” The Wick’s production marks her fifth regional show, where she’s joined by the best cast South Florida has to offer.
As a 16-year-old Queens College student (she’d skipped two grades), Carole meets lyricist Gerry Goffin with whom she’d co-write numerous hits for the next ten years. They marry when she gets pregnant at 17 and have two daughters. Local actor/singer Sean William Davis has the unenviable task of accompanying “Carole” in song, and he excels. He also provides a finely nuanced portrayal of Gerry’s passions and inner conflicts about staying faithful, and his troubled mental state when beset by demons he can’t control.
Much of Carole’s dialog involves snide remarks and protective, self-deprecating quips. But once she impresses Gerry with her piano skills at Bach, he really sees her, becomes her biggest champion, as well as song collaborator, despite all the pain he eventually causes by his wandering eye. It’s sweet how, at her Carnegie Hall debut, he repeats the line he’d challenged her with when they’d first met. Once again stating (though this time in jest): “You should listen to Bach sometimes. Otherwise, you won’t go to Carnegie Hall.” And now, years after their divorce, sincerely apologizes for his earlier obnoxious behavior
It’s 1958 when 16-year-old Carole first confronts music publisher/promoter Don Kirshner at “1650 Broadway,” the music industry’s famous Brill Building in Manhattan. Ben Sandomir plays the crusty, profit-obsessed music publisher/promoter with a hidden heart of gold, to a tee. He pushes his song writers; and especially enjoys pitting his top two teams against one another to get their best work. Always looking at trends and deciding which popular group is the perfect match for a particular song, he’ll also have his creative staff write songs to order. As an audience, we get to hear phenomenal songs sung by lyricists and musicians amidst their process (when there typically existed a distinct line between creatives and performers) and later staged by the hot groups or individuals who made them famous.
Leah Sessa has an incredible voice, and you can find her starring in most every major local musical, with good reason. Here, her powerful vocal and acting skills are fully engaged in her prominent role as Cynthia Weil – via her solo, “Happy Days are Here Again,” with others, and especially with her writing partner, talented hypochondriac Barry Mann. The skinny nebbish with big talent, and perseverance in the romantic department, is perfectly portrayed by Taylor Hilt Mitchell. He’s also a skilled vocalist who performs a fun solo in “Who Put the Bomp?”
The Drifters are chosen to record Carole and Gerry’s “Some Kind of Wonderful,” inspired by the couple’s marriage when Carole discovers she’s pregnant. The group, sporting sixties-era suits, features Desmond Newson (lead) Jawan Hayes, Jymil Littles and Kalab Quinn. They also perform Barry and Cynthia’s famous “On Broadway.” While the Righteous Brothers join Barry in a soulful “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” This comes right after Matti Endsley, as Little Eva, and Ensemble do a rousing “The Locomotion” written by Carole and Gerry.
Competition between these two writing teams made for a panoply of great songs destined to live on through the ages. Carole sings a beautiful rendition of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” before having to convince The Shirelles to take the song on, and they do so only after she promises to add strings to the orchestration (then heads to the library to learn how!). The Shirelles appear several times, each time outfitted in dazzlingly different, but color-coordinated, cocktail dresses. Thank you Alejo Vietti for adding glamour and veracity to every scene with your original costume design. And to those sparkly singers – Nia Bourne (lead), Matti Endsley, Sarah Rose Hackshaw, and Sheena O. Murray.
While Barry and Cynthia continue to grow closer, even marry, storm clouds gather ahead for Carole and Gerry — despite the now family of four’s move to the suburbs, hoping for a fresh start. Carole’s sensible optimism clashes with Gerry’s ongoing feeling he “can’t breathe” in their marriage, and he misses the vitality of the city.
