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| A Scene from Beautiful, The Carole King Musical |
While the claim that Eskimos have 50 to 100 words for snow
has been proven to be largely a myth, English might consider adding yet another
word to its lexicon for the type of word necessitated by sitting through a
performance of “Beautiful, The Carole King Musical.”
Beautiful,
it is, but the musical is expressed in a subtle way that requires a bit of finesse
to describe the nuances of the experience. It’s beautiful in a way all its own.
I
am so very familiar with the songbook of singer/songwriter Carole King that
many of her tunes have become earworms at various times in my life. However, not
much into gossip columns, musical and entertainment tabloids or People
-like publications, I knew nothing of King’s personal life. That’s one of the
reasons I enjoyed immensely the musical, now running at the Benedum Center
through Sunday. The narrative links some of King’s greater hits with an
intimate look at her life and career, much of which came as a complete surprise.
Book
writer Douglas McGrath certainly should get a pat on the back for the silken
way he segues music into meaningful, emotional narrative.
My
greatest shock came with the revelation that her relationship with her husband,
Gerry Goffen (Dylan S. Wallach) was a rocky one. Shortly after they met at Queens
College, they became a successful songwriter duo for music promoter, Don
Kirshner (J. Alex Noble). King wrote the lyrics while Goffin came up with the
tunes. As a duo, they wrote more than two dozen chart hits, including “Will You
Love Me Tomorrow,” “The Loco-Motion,” “Up on the Roof” and “Go Away Little
Girl.”.
The
musical is a showcase for not only the songwriting couple but for their
friendly rivals, Barry Mann (Barrett Riggins) and Cynthia Weil (Lee Harrington),
who occupied the next-door space at the famous Brill Building. the epicenter of
the American pop music industry in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The
latter two were the creative forces behind such hits as “He’s Sure the Boy I
Love” and “Walking in the Rain,” which get lovely renditions by the cast and
conductor Catie Brown’s 12-piece ensemble.
As
King and Goffin settle into a comfortable lifestyle, the duo begins to go in
opposite direction. King wants a settled family life (they couple eventually
have two girls and a suburban home in New Jersey) while Goffin wants more of an
adventurous life, both in bed, it seems, and experimenting with mind altering
substances.
Something
that amps up the musical’s energy is the inclusion of songs written for other
artists such as the Drifters (“Up on the Roof”) and the Shirelles (“Will You
Love Me Tomorrow”). These short but sweet interludes are sung by Charles Curry
II, J’Quay Gibbs, Kai Sachon and Justus Wheatley and Cadence Gates, Samantha
Allison Nelson, Avery Ramsey and Bree S. Taylor respectively.
As
King, Kyra Kennedy shows the singer’s immeasurable drive and unstoppable
ambition while, at the same time, her vulnerability and deeply felt devotion to
her husband. Her voice comes off as close to that of King’s but often shows shades
of tone and coloration different from hers. I also like the way she added
flourishes and variations that differentiate it from King’s.
As
her spouse, Wallach tackles the difficult role of remaining deeply involved with
King on both a romantic and business level, while at the same time, enticed by things
and people that draw them apart. It’s interesting to watch his emotional
deterioration from start to finish, which he carries off well, considering the
short span of theater time he’s given to work with.
As
King and Goffin’s songwriting competitors, Lee Harrington as Cynthia Weil and
Barrett Riggins as Barry Mann pull off the supporting roles with aplomb and
richly detailed characterization. Harrington is a high-energy, no nonsense,
independent woman, the “straight man” to Mann’s role as provider of comic
relief.
I
found Mann’s voice especially interesting to listen to with its vaguely raspy edge,
one that’s both unique and pleasant to the ear.
Cutting
the mustard as music executive Don Kirshner (J. Alex Noble) is a manipulative
businessman who constantly demands that the songwriters compose more, all the
while having a savvy knack for intuiting what the public might like and what may
make the list of Billboard chart toppers. He also shows his loyalty to King by referring
her to important contacts he knows who can help her career after she decides to
go it alone in L.A.
With
a smaller but colorful role, Christine Liatta portrays King’s mother who delivers
a line that proves one of the cleverest running gags in recent history. She
also grows maternally throughout the play to become one of King’s biggest
supporters.
Choreographer
Dan Knechtges, who also directs, is a Tony-nominated director and
choreographer. His dance creations for “Beautiful,” while not as splashy as
some of the more frenetic Broadway musicals that have come to town in the past
few years, they are very appropriate to the mood and emotional backboned of the
show.
For
scenic enrichment, Derek McLane cleverly keeps things moving with props and
scenic elements gliding in and off the stage to give each scene a distinct
sense of place.
I
was surprised at the number of younger folk, (think pre-teens and teens) in the
opening night audience. They, and perhaps their parents, were most likely unfamiliar
with most, if not all, of the tunes performed from the 50s and 60s. It forced me
to remark to my theater companion that I wished I’d have been able to
interview some of them just to listen to what they thought of the show.
As
for me, everything was as pleasantly familiar as meeting an old friend I hadn’t
seen in a while.
If you go, watch for one of the most impressive hair tosses by King back and forth over her head as she sits at the piano singing an animated version of, what else, “Beautiful.” It's bound to become a classic theatrical flourish
“Beautiful,
The Carole King Musical,” a presentation of the Pittsburgh CLO, is at the
Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh through June 28. For tickets, phone 412-666-6600 or https://www.pittsburghclo.org/buy-tickets.
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