Jessie Mueller Will Not Hit the Road with BEAUTIFUL National Tour

Earlier this month, the Toronto Star reported that Chilina Kennedy, who made her Broadway debut in 2012's Jesus Christ Superstar, would soon join the Broadway production of BEAUTIFUL as 'Carole King' in early 2015, when current star Mueller leaves to lead the national tour. BroadwayWorld has just learned from a show representative however, that the Tony winner will not hit the road with the touring cast. Casting is currently underway.

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.

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.