West End's BEAUTIFUL Has Found Its 'Carole King'

According to the Daily Mail, the West End production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical has found its leading lady. Katie Brayben will star in the title role when the show moves across the pond in February 2015.

The Mail describes Brayben as "a casting coup for the part. She plays the piano and cello, and writes and performs her own compositions." Her parents and sister -- Fran McGillivray, Mike Burke and Jo Burke -- are also all folk singers.

Brayben recently appeared at the Almeida in the new AMERICAN PSYCHO musical. She has starred in productions for the National Theatre, Regent's Park, Southwark Playhouse, the Acrola, the Landor, as well as the West End's MAMMA MIA! and more.

Speaking of Carole King, Brayben told the Mail, "She's such a wonderful songwriter, and the numbers have these beautiful melodies. They speak to people."

Joining Brayben in the cast are Alan Morrissey (Gerry Goffin), Glynis Barber (King's mother), Lorna Want and Gary Trainor.

Brayben is currently starring as Diana, Princess of Wales in the play KING CHARLES III. She will soon leave the production to begin rehearsals for BEAUTIFUL. The West End production will start previews on February 10, 2015 in the West End at London's Aldwych Theatre, with an official opening night set for February 25, 2015.

With a book by Tony and Academy Award-nominee 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. Beautiful opened on Broadway in January 2014 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 West 43 Street).

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.

The creative team, which will reprise their work for the West End production, also includes Derek McLane (Set Design), Alejo Vietti (Costume Design), Peter Kaczorowski (Lighting Design), Brian Ronan(Sound Design),Charles G. LaPointe (Wig and Hair Design), Steve Sidwell (Orchestrations and Music Arrangements), Jason Howland(Music Supervision) and John Miller (Music Coordination).

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