This musical showcasing the songwriting talents of Carole King opened on Broadway in 2014 and in London’s West End the following year. It’s easy to see why it collected a Grammy, two Tonys and two Olivier awards – full of rock-solid hits ranging from You’ve Got A Friend to I Feel The Earth Move, from The Locomotion to (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
Unlike many jukebox musicals, Beautiful doesn’t rely on a plot written around the song lyrics; instead it tells the story of King’s life from her teenaged songwriting efforts – she was only 17 when she wrote Will You Love Me Tomorrow – through to her triumphant appearance at Carnegie Hall after the huge success of her album Tapestry in 1971.
On the way we see her relationship with her husband and songwriting partner Gerry Goffin, their friendship and rivalry with another songwriting couple, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (giving us the excuse to hear one of their greatest hits, You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’), and Carole’s move from New York
to LA and from writing to performing her songs after she and Gerry break up.
This is not a show which relies on spectacular sets or theatrical effects, though the changes to the basic recording-studio set are well managed, and the costumes subtly show the passage of time through the 1960s as its characters age. Its quality lies in the impressively versatile cast, who don’t just sing and dance but play whatever instruments are needed to create the onstage band for each number.
Molly-Grace Cutler is compelling as Carole King, gaining in stature and confidence as the evening (or King’s career) goes on, and there are no weak links in an ensemble where everybody has a chance to shine. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable evening – with such talented and hardworking musician/actors and material like that, how could it be anything else?
Beautiful is at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow until Saturday 17 September.
