Review: Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Stripped back, the show works brilliantly as a straightforward jukebox musical: young couple – a lyricist and musician – meet and pen a string of hit records, performed on stage with lots of gusto.

Add some context – the couple are Carole King and Gerry Goffin who wrote songs that helped define a generation; instantly recognisable chart smashes such as Up On The Roof, Take Good Care of My Baby, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, The Locomotion for the biggest artists of the day – The Drifters, The Shirelles….and their babysitter Little Eva!

The story is nicely played out on stage, covering the King and Goffin marriage and working relationship, the trials and tribulations of the songwriting ‘factory’ they worked in and their friendship and rivalry with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, whose You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling by The Righteous Brothers is used to great effect.

A talented cast of actor-musicians keep the songs coming thick and fast, recreating so many well-known hits – and costumes – for more than two hours of toe-tapping feelgood music that has you just itching to sing along.

If anything, the soundtrack barely scratches the surface of King’s musical legacy – otherwise the show would have been twice as long!

Tom Milner (a troubled Goffin), Seren Sandham-Davies (a livewire Weil) and Jos Slovick (a humorous, hypochondriac Mann) are terrific, shining a light on to the personalities of their characters, and Garry Robson is very likeable, portraying Don Kirshner, the music producer and talent manager who sets them om the road to success, like a good-natured, close family friend.

But Molly-Grace Cutler really brings King to life, as we see the transformation from wannabe songwriter to down-trodden teenage wife to a solo star.

And what a voice. She is a natural (woman)!

Aptly the finale is based around King’s performance at the famed Carnegie Hall with songs from her album Tapestry…. that went on to help shape the next generation and propel King to superstardom.

You can see Beautiful – The Carole King Musical at New Theatre until Saturday.

Tickets at www.newtheatre-peterborough.com