Carole King’s uplifting life story opens the season on Huron Country Playhouse’s Mainstage
June 13, 2023
She made more than beautiful music; she wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tells the true story of her remarkable journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Company in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Drayton Entertainment, 2023 Season. Directed by John Stefaniuk; Choreographed by Hollywood Jade; Music Direction by Nico Rhodes; Set Design by Douglas Paraschuk; Costume Design by Julia Holbert; Lighting Design by Michael Walton; Stage Manager Paul Pembleton; Assistant Stage Managers Rebecca Miller and Frances Johnson.
If you’re of a certain age, chances are that Carole King wrote the soundtrack to some of the major events in your life. The legendary singer-songwriter created more than 400 songs that have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, and the story of her incredible career is brought to life in the spectacular Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
After completing a successful run at Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge earlier this month, the Tony and Grammy Award-winning jukebox musical opens the Mainstage’s 2023 season at the Huron Country Playhouse, from June 15 to July 1.
So many people have grown up with the music of Carole King...This show is going to transport the audience and have them singing along the whole way through.
Alex Mustakas, Artistic Director and CEO of Drayton Entertainment
“We’re thrilled to bring this inspiring musical to the stage,” says Alex Mustakas, Artistic Director and CEO of Drayton Entertainment. “So many people have grown up with the music of Carole King, but they may not know the incredible story that led her into the hearts of an entire generation. This show is going to transport the audience and have them singing along the whole way through.”
Beautiful charts King’s remarkable journey from teenage hit-maker to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. From the chart-topping hits she wrote for the biggest acts in music to her own life-changing, trail-blazing success, this heartwarming, nostalgic production carries you back to where it all began.
Hamilton-born Emily Lukasik takes on the title role, and she says Beautiful reveals how one of pop music’s most influential female artists eventually found her voice.
“I think by the end of the show, when she says, ‘You’re as beautiful as you feel,’ she didn’t always feel that, and that’s kind of the journey that she goes on.”
Beautiful’s first set piece is a stunning “On Broadway” montage that shows King arriving in New York’s creative hub, a magical place that mirrors the teenager’s vitality and exuberance. Guided by fast-talking, legendary publisher Don Kirshner, played by Jacob James, the rookie composer is paired with lyricist Gerry Goffin (Kaden Forsberg) with whom she becomes romantically involved.
The couple’s first number 1 single was “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles in 1960, and Lukasik finds it uplifting being able to cover that breakthrough on stage.
When those first few chords hit, and those first few words, and that’s the first big hit that (Carole) and Gerry had, it’s, ‘Oh, this is something different, this is something special,’ and it’s really beautiful to get to play that moment.
Emily Lukasik, who plays Carole King in "Beautiful"
Over the next decade, the songwriting duo created dozens of unforgettable hits, many of which are performed in the show, including “Take Good Care of My Baby” by Bobby Vee, “The Locomotion” by their babysitter, Little Eva, and The Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday”.
Their friends and friendly rivals, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil – charmingly played by Nicholas Combitsis and Laura Mae Nason – enjoyed success at the same time, which is celebrated with renditions of their own masterpieces, including The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and “We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place”, which was a hit for The Animals. (The real Weil passed away on June 1 at the age of 82.)
With nearly 30 foot-tapping classics, another musical memory is never far away. Just as songs can act as markers long the journeys of our own relationships, the ones in Beautiful skillfully map out Goffin and King’s courtship and marriage, as well as their gradual drifting apart, both romantically and creatively.
After the couple split, King’s self-confidence grew, and she began writing songs that reflected her emotional odyssey. That honesty and truth are part of what made her a unique artist during the early seventies, observes Lukasik.
“All the interviews and stories I’ve heard about her, it just sounds like she is the most open-hearted person. I think it’s her love of music and the fact that it’s about the music for her when she’s writing.”
Rising star James Taylor, who is represented in Beautiful by a composite character called Nick (brought to life by Andrew McGillivray), encouraged King to record her own compositions.
In January 1971, King recorded her classic album “Tapestry” while hearing Joni Mitchell and The Carpenters producing their own songs in neighbouring studios. Emily Lukasik says she enjoyed a similar experience during the production of Beautiful.
“Carole King was one of the original singer-songwriters when that was first becoming a thing,” says Lukasik. “You wanted to hear the lyrics (sung) by the person who had written them because it was about their own life.”
In January 1971, King recorded her classic album “Tapestry” while hearing Joni Mitchell and The Carpenters producing their own songs in neighbouring studios. Lukasik says she enjoyed a similar experience during the production of Beautiful.
“(King) was very collaborative, and so I feel a little bit like we’re at the old music studios being here, because you hear snippets of another show rehearsing. The building is abuzz and alive with all the energy that everyone is bringing.”
King’s triumphant concert at Carnegie Hall, which took place a few months after “Tapestry” became a hit, provides Beautiful’s barnstorming finale and shows how far she’s come, emotionally and creatively.
The uplifting story of how she overcame challenges, discovered herself, and built a record-breaking career along the way is, indeed, beautiful.
Lukasik says, “It is about Carole King and her journey when she goes from wanting to be a songwriter, and then becoming quite successful, and sort of finding her self-worth.”
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