Musical Review: "Beautiful the Carole King Musical"

I have never seen a musical on Broadway however, I have seen musicals in my hometown of Hawaii with touring productions coming to perform. The last show I saw was back in 2014 with the production of The Lion King. Due to the pandemic, there haven’t been any Broadway tour productions come to Hawaii. But this year, they have returned for the 2022-2023 season. Back in April, I was able to see the first one, which was Beautiful the Carole King Musical.

Beautiful is the story of how Carole King became a prolific singer and songwriter from the early stages of her life when she started writing songs for music publisher Don Kirshner, with her then-husband, Gerry Coffin, to eventually becoming a solo artist. During her songwriting career, she and Gerry wrote together chart-topping songs sung by R&B groups such as The Drifters, and The Shirelles. For those of you that don’t know, Carole King is a singer-songwriter that was popular during the 70s, who has won a few Grammys for her hit songs and album. The show ran on Broadway from January 2014-October 2019, and was nominated for 7 Tony awards, winning two of them for Best Leading Actress in a Musical and Best Sound Design. I first heard of this musical when I was a senior in high school when our school choir (which I was a part of) performed a medley of songs from this musical. So, I was familiar with most of the songs that were in the show. I am going to do a review of different aspects of the show, as well as give my overall thoughts of it. Now please keep in mind that this is only my opinions of the show meaning that my thoughts might not agree with yours.

Lighting elements: There was great use of lighting throughout the entire show, displaying great contrast between scenes. When it showed Carole’s personal life during her songwriting career, it is a warm and soft tone. Then when the groups perform her songs, the lighting changes to bright and colorful tones. There is also a part when she is singing, “It’s too Late” where the dark-reddish lighting complements not only the bar that she is performing at, but the emotions she is feeling just after she and Gerry divorced. Finally, there is the final number where she performs, “Beautiful” where the bright lights symbolize the point in her career where she is able to have a solo career with her own songs she has written.

Costumes: Once again there is a contrast of costumes shown between the songwriters, Carole, Gerry, Cynthia Weil, and Barry Mann, and the groups from the simple-colored designs to the bright and sparkly colors. It also does a great job of transitioning between the different decades with the bright colors and beehive wigs from the 60s to the simple clothing from the 70s. For some reason, it reminded me of Wandavision since some of the episodes parodied TV shows from the 50s, 60s, and the 70s and what really stood out were the costumes depicting the TV show from the appropriate decade. Plus, the quick changes were effortless thanks to the crew who work so hard behind the stage making sure actors/actresses are able to do quick changes in a matter of seconds.

The Shirelles from "Beautiful the Carole King Musical" (not an image from the actual show I saw)

Characters: I thought that every actor and actress in the main cast portrayed their character developing throughout the entire show. You can see each of them maturing as they get older. Carole goes from an awkward teenager to the confident singer that we know now. Cynthia and Barry go from competing and jealous rivals of Carole and Gerry to supportive friends. And then you have Gerry going from this cool and chill guy, then becoming hot-headed when going through his mental issues and affairs, and finally becoming a mature and forgiving person. Another thing I want to point out is that, Sara King, the actress who played Cynthia Weil in the show, was from the original Broadway cast formerly playing Marilyn Wald, the one that Gerry had an affair with.

"Beautiful the Carole King Musical" Carole and Gerry

Stage/setting: Though it was simple at times, I thought it did a great job transitioning from a recording studio to the apartments, and when the groups are performing. Plus, the lights really made a great impact through all the scenes and songs. Once again, shout-out to the crew backstage for making these seamless set changes. Seriously, the crew of any show production doesn’t really get a lot of the credit when they are really the ones who help bring the “magic of Broadway.” Especially during COVID when everyone is working so hard backstage to not only bring back shows to life, but to also keep both audiences and casts members safe. I was actually part of the crew for one of my high school theater productions, and to be honest, I didn’t get enough appreciation and credit even though it took a lot of work to move all the sets and microphones to where they should be. But back to the show, I also noticed some of the actors being the “crew” onstage when moving some of the sets like the piano.

Cast of "Beautiful" at recording studio scene

Choreography: There wasn’t really much choreography from the main cast since Carole and the others were songwriters mainly. However, the dancing was shown when groups like The Drifters and the Shirelles are performing, but it is minimal since they are singing behind the microphone. Even though there was a little bit of choreography, the strong vocals coming from Carole King is what really brought the show to life.

Songs: The songs moved the story along, rather than complemented with it. Each song that Carole wrote got stronger every time, and it really helped with her character development. The first song she writes, “It Might as Well Rain Until September” is a fun teeny-bop song that shows the innocent, younger version of her. Then when you get to the final song, “Beautiful,” it really shows how much Carole has matured into a confident solo artist and not just a songwriter. Her songs in the second half of the show especially are some of the strongest songs she has written and sung. Some of these songs were written after she broke up with Gerry, and realized she is better off without him. It is at this point that she also realizes that the only person to sing her songs in none other than herself. They are also from her 1972 album, Tapestry which won four Grammys including, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. (This musical also won a Grammy back in 2015 for Best Musical Theater Album). I also loved the differences between Carole and Gerry singing the song vs when the groups perform their songs. When it transitions like that, it just changes the emotion and feeling of the songs. When Carole and Gerry sing their first co-written song, “Some Kind of Wonderful,” the melody is slow creating an intimate feeling between the two characters since Gerry just found out Carole is pregnant, and it is where we see the relationship start to bloom. However, when the Drifters perform the song in a doo-wop upbeat, there is more of a feeling described as trying to attract someone. The same can be said when Carole sings, “Will you Still Love Me Tomorrow” in that slow melody to show that strong bond and intimate feeling between her and Gerry. But, when the Shirelles perform it, there is that same doo-wop upbeat melody, giving that song a happy feeling. Carole also sings a part of this song in the second act, but this time the feeling is somber and nostalgic since she just found out Gerry was having an affair with another women, and called it quits with their relationship. During this, she is thinking about her time with Gerry when they were younger while wondering if Gerry still has feelings for her after all they went through.

Things I enjoyed about the show

The story: I loved how the musical portrayed a lot of Carole’s life using her songs while telling her story of how she became the singer-songwriter a lot of people have come to know. There are some parts where people can relate to Carole, so even if one is not familiar with her work, they are able to enjoy it. I enjoyed seeing the character of Carole just growing up, and realizing what she can actually do with her music. She has written some of the biggest songs like “You Make Me Feel like a Natural Woman,” and “One Fine Day,” which some people might not have known. However, this show does a great job of showing people how these songs came to life all through the hard work of Carole King and the impact she has made in the music industry. She really paved the path for other singer-songwriters like Taylor Swift, Sia, and Adele. There were hardly any dull moments, and I was familiar with most of the songs even though they were from the 60s-70s.

The finale: Usually, a lot of musicals end the show with a big show-stopping finale with much of the entire cast. With this musical, it didn’t end like that; it just showed Carole singing the final number to the entire audience. Even though it wasn’t a big finale, it didn’t make the entire musical boring. At this point, the performance is portraying Carole at her best moment when she is finally showing her true self to the entire world singing her own song that she wrote by herself. Not with anyone, or performed by anyone else. Plus, her strong vocals and bright lights are what make this finale seem grand even though it is only Carole performing. I also noticed that the beginning of the show started with Carole performing in front of the piano, and with the same setting but with a different song. It is as if she was taking us on a journey, reflecting on how she got started in her music career early on until she rose to fame as a solo artist. Plus, you will love the performance the entire cast does during the curtain call segment as everyone was out of their seats, and having a good time as if it was like a mini concert.

"Beautiful the Carole King Musical" finale

“We’re/You’re going all the way”- One of the most significant lines that was said throughout the entire show was between Gerry and Carole. The first time they wrote a chart-topping hit together Gerry says to Carole, “We’re going to go all the way,” he is referring to the future success of their songs becoming record hits ranking at the top. The next time he says this to Carole is when he is at the hospital after having a nervous breakdown in which their relationship starts to go downhill due to the mounting stress of their songwriting career. When Gerry tries to make amends with her, he says that same line. This time though, he means they are going to work together to try to make their relationship right. Right before the final number as Carole is about to perform at Carnegie Hall, Gerry surprises her backstage, but he is here to apologize for ruining their relationship and wishing her nothing but the best. And instead of saying “we’re,” he says “you’re going all the way” knowing Carole is able to be an independent, successful singer with her own songs. I loved how this line is used to show the character development between these two as their relationship expands from their song-writing careers to their personal lives.

What I didn’t enjoy

Humor: I didn’t really understand some of the humor since it was written for a much older audience who grew up in the same era as Carole King. Whenever one of the actors said a joke, the whole audience would laugh, but I didn’t. But I wasn’t really too focused on the lines, but more on the music side.

Gerry’s nervous breakdown: When Gerry is at the hospital due to his breakdown, Cynthia asks Carole if it was due to drug use but she says she doesn’t know. I wished this was explored more in the show as to how it affected the personal and music career relationships between him and Carole. I was also confused by another part when he was in a lot of stress, and he says he needs to go on the roof, and it cuts to the hospital scene. I thought that he was attempting suicide, but it is never shown. I guess the writers of this show wanted to stick to telling Carole’s story and not stray away to other characters.

Overall thoughts

I would give this musical an 8/10. It can be enjoyed for both young and old audiences whether you are a fan of Carole King or you like to see a show about a female singer-songwriter. Expect to not understand some of the humor which was made for older audiences, but everyone can still relate to some part of the story. I think this would also make a great musical movie where they can expand more on Carole’s life such as Gerry going through his nervous breakdown, and her family life with the two daughters that were mentioned, but never got to see in the show. It also teaches a good lesson to women that if you want to be in a relationship, don’t rush through it and get married at a young age or else you run into problems later on. But overall, I enjoyed seeing this show being that it is my first one since the pandemic, proving that Hawaii can still show great Broadway musicals.