Review: BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Broadway Rose

Before the curtain rises on BEAUTIFUL: THE Carole King MUSICAL, Broadway Rose Managing Director Dan Murphy makes sure the audience knows that this is not a sing-along! It’s a necessary reminder, as you will surely want to sing along with this perfect summer musical. However, if you can resist the temptation (toe-tapping and head-bobbing are allowed), you will be rewarded by getting to enjoy some of the most iconic music produced across several decades being performed by a first-rate cast led by Merideth Kaye Clark.

BEAUTIFUL is about Carole King, starting at age 16 when she sold her first song to music publisher Don Kirshner through her first-ever concert performance, which happened to be at Carnegie Hall(!) following the release of Tapestry in 1971. Although it tells the story of her early life, this show is a bio-musical that’s less about Carole King the person and more about her music. 

And what great music it is! I had no idea that prior to Tapestry (“So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Natural Woman,” etc.) King and her then-husband, Gerry Goffin, were the songwriting team behind hits ranging from “Take Good Care of My Baby” to “The Locomotion.” These, and roughly 25 more songs appear in the show, mostly sung in full. (It’s really hard not to sing along!)

When I first learned this show was in the Broadway Rose season, I wondered who they would get to play the lead role. In retrospect, it should have been obvious. Clark is perfect – she has the vocal chops, she can play the piano, and she has mastered the niche of impersonating the best singer-songwriters of the era (if you ever get the chance to see her perform Joni Mitchell’s Blue – take it!).

But BEAUTIFUL is more of an ensemble musical than you might guess from the title (there are 20 people in the cast). In featured roles, Benjamin Tissell (Gerry Goffin) and Norman Wilson (Barry Mann) are assets to any cast, and Jennifer Lynn Teel, who is making her Portland-area debut in the role of lyricist Cynthia Weil, is as good as anyone I’ve seen perform on any musical stage.

The rest of the cast does a lot of heavy lifting, with several actors playing smaller named roles, members of singing groups (The Shirelles, The Drifters), and contributing to ensemble numbers. Standouts include Lydia Fleming (Shirelle / Janelle Woods), Bree Boswell (Shirelle / Little Eva), and Myles Sturns-Thomas (Drifter). The ensemble also does all of the dynamic dancing, choreographed by Rosharra Francis, who was part of the show’s first Broadway National Tour and studied under the original choreographer, Josh Prince.

Last but most definitely not least, the set (Bryan Boyd), lighting (Kristeen Willis), and costumes (Allison Dawe) are fabulous. Broadway Rose has really upped its game this season as far as these technical aspects are concerned, and BEAUTIFUL is the best yet.

BEAUTIFUL runs through August 18 at the Deb Fennell Auditorium in Tigard. Ticket availability is already limited, so do yourself a favor and get yours now.

Photo credit: Fletcher Wold

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