BWW Q&A: Emily Searle Talks BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Brampton On Stage/The Rose Brampton

Hailing from England, Emily first began singing when she was 6 years old, before starting dance classes. Emily trained professionally at The Italia Conti School in London, where she was awarded a First Class Honours degree in Musical Theatre. Roles include Mabel in ‘Pirates of Penzance’, Angie in ‘Our House’, Charlotte in ‘A Little Night Music’ and Dorothy in 'Wizard of Oz.' Professional credits include Martha Cratchit in ‘A Christmas Carol’. Emily would like to thank her parents and her fiance for always nurturing and supporting her love for performing. Emily is excited to be back on stage and can’t wait to perform with the super talented cast!

What drew you to the character of Carole King for this musical?

My dad is a big fan of Carole King so I grew up on her music, and ever since I saw 'Beautiful' on the West End it's been a dream role for me. Learning more about her life, what she went through and the people who shaped who she became, I knew I wanted the opportunity to bring that story to the stage and sing all of my favourite songs.

Can you share a bit about your process of preparing to play such an iconic figure in the music industry?

Playing a real person is so different to an imaginary one, as you have real source material to work off of, rather than finding a character yourself. I watched a lot of videos of her performing and doing interviews, particularly paying attention to how she plays piano, her mannerisms and quirks. Perfecting her New York accent was also a huge part of the process, particularly as I am from England so don't already have an East Coast accent as a base. I used her Instagram account and other archives to find old photos of her with Gerry, Barry and Cynthia when she was young. It was very important to me to show her journey and development throughout the show, as she evolves from a naive 16 year old getting swept off her feet to an independent, confident single mum holding her own as a singer, songwriter and performer.

Can you share any memorable moments from your rehearsals for "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical"?

When we were first learning and developing the blocking, we would often do walk-throughs of scenes without lines just to lock into place where we're standing on stage. Imagine someone giving you a 30 second synopsis of a scene in double speed time - it went something like that and it was hilarious. We also had a lot of fun doing line runs when people were absent from rehearsals, impersonating them or doing silly voices. I love to dance but unfortunately don't get to dance in this show, so my personal favourite part of rehearsal was watching the dances going from bare bones to fully fleshed out pieces, our choreographer Jennifer is incredible and the cast bring her visions to life so beautifully.

What can the audience expect from your performance in this show?

Hopefully an interpretation of Carole King that does her and her incredible story justice!

How do you feel about performing at The Rose Brampton?

I am so excited to be back at The Rose, it's an amazing theatre and everyone that works there is so welcoming and professional. Truly couldn't ask for a better stage in the GTA to bring this story to life!

What message do you hope the audience will take away from this musical?

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