Casting Scoop! Jessie Mueller to Star in BEAUTIFUL - THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL; Show Now to Start Previews Fall 2013 at Sondheim Theatre on Broadway

Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced today that after wow-ing audiences in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Tony Award-nominee Jessie Mueller will star as Carole King, in the new musical Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter. Originally announced for spring 2014, the show will now begin previews on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 West 43rd Street) on Thursday, November 21, 2013, with an official opening night set for Sunday, January 12, 2014, following its World Premiere this fall at San Francisco's SHN Curran Theatre (September 24 - October 20, 2013).

With a book by playwright and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Douglas McGrath, direction by Marc Bruni and choreography by Josh Prince, Beautiful features a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil.

Long before she was Carole King, chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah. She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her twenties, had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock 'n' roll. But it wasn't until her personal life began to crack that she finally managed to find her true voice. Beautiful tells the inspiring true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation.

Before nabbing this season's most sought after role, Jessie Mueller was most recently seen opposite Matthew Broderick in Nice Work If You Can Get It. She also had scene-stealing roles in Roundabout Theatre Company's Tony nominated revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Lincoln Center's Emmy-nominated concert production of Carousel. Mueller made a sparkling Broadway debut opposite Harry Connick, Jr. in 2011's On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. At the time, New York Magazine observed "Mueller combines period vocal technique with natural, uninflected charisma and an onstage relaxation. Her voice contains notes of Garland, but she's no diva - this is a star of supreme self-possession, one who doesn't need to blind us to impress us," much like Carole King herself.

Additional casting and other news from Beautiful will be announced shortly. Tickets for the Broadway Premiere of Beautiful will go on-sale in the coming weeks; for more information, visit www.beautifulonbroadway.com. Photos by Nathan Johnson