By Alan Jozwiak
You will have a beautiful time at the Carnegie’s Beautiful: The Carol King Musical.
For those coming of age in the early 1970s, a must-have record was singer-songwriter Carol King’s “Tapestry.” “Tapestry” was a 14x Platinum recording, becoming a defining moment in King’s career and a touchpoint in popular culture. The recording also contains a number of classic hits such as “I Feel the Earth Move,” “It’s Too Late,” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”
“Tapestry” essentially defined the tone and feel of the early 1970s which was reeling from the violent upheavals of the late 1960s.
What went into the making of that recording, including the rocky relationship King has with her lyricist-husband Gerry Goffin is the subject of Beautiful: The Carol King Musical. Beautiful is now performed by the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center and runs through August 25.
Powerful Directors in Beautiful: The Carol King Musical
Directors Dee Anne Bryll and Ed Cohen place their attention squarely upon the emotional journey Carol King (Bethany Xan Kerr) takes with her professional and personal relationship with Gerry Goffin (Cary Davenport) and their friends Cynthia Weill (Jenny Herndon) and Barry Mann (Grant Bell). This avoids a common pitfall of emphasizing scenes over characters as the characters cycle through lots of different scenes.
Bryll and Cohen also sacrifice defined set pieces. They let these characters live and breathe in an open stage defined by their emotional struggles and professional triumphs. Sometimes it would have been nice to have set pieces defining the different settings (such as when King, Goffin, Weill, and Mann go out on vacation), but I never felt pulled out of the action because of the lack of scenery. The audience also has projections indicating where we are within the life of Carol King, which grounds a scene within a particular time and place.
Powerful Cast
Bryll and Cohen have assembled an exceptionally strong cast of performers for this production. Bethany Xan Kerr portrays Carol King in a dynamic manner, emphasizing her humor and down-to-earth hominess of King. Kerr knows how to win the audience’s sympathies in dealing with her wayward husband while belting out such songs as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “It’s Too Late.” Kerr channels King’s essence in a way that is appealing and compelling to watch.
Powerful Chemistry
Part of the greatness of Kerr’s performance is the wonderful chemistry she has with Cary Davenport, who plays Gerry Goffin. I have seen several productions of this musical over the years, but never have I seen such a rich and varied chemistry between the two leads. Davenport has a vital role in establishing that chemistry, since he is deft in sculpting the nuances of Gerry Goffin and his emotional issues. The audience may not feel for Davenport’s character by the end of the musical, but they have a good sense of what drives Goffin to do what he does. Seeing the interactions between Goffin and King as they become acquainted with each other early in the musical is worth the price of admission.
Also strong are King’s best friends and friendly rivals, lyricist Cynthia Weil (Jenny Herndon) and composer Barry Mann (Grant Bell). Weill and Mann are meant to serve as a counterpoint to King and Goffin and Herndon and Bell play these counterpoint roles with equal parts humor, earnestness, and conviction. I really enjoyed watching these two on stage craft songs and develop a sexual interest in one another. Bell’s over-the-top humor at playing Mann’s hypochondria and Herndon’s irresistible spunk in singing such songs like “Happy Days are Here Again” make them a compelling and wonderful duo to watch.
Strong Costumes and Lighting
Costume Designer Cat Schmeal-Swope has costumed the characters in ways that are historically accurate and highlight the attractiveness of the performers. The principal leads have lots of wardrobe changes as they move from 1958 and 1971. Schmeal-Swope really pays close attention to what the main characters wear. I clued into this about halfway through the first act and then part of the joy in seeing the show was seeing the different clothes. Kudos for such outstanding work.
Beautiful is a Must See
To conclude, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical is one of my favorite jukebox musicals and this production has great songs, compelling acting, and wonderful costumes. It is a must-see show in a summer season that has been full of strong shows by the Carnegie.
If you are a Carol King fan, go out and get tickets for this production. If not, still go out and see this show. It will satisfy.
Tickets
It is not “too late” to see this show. Beautiful: The Carol King Musical runs August 10-25, 2024. For ticket information, click here.
