The Paper Mill Playhouse closes their 85th Season with a crowd pleasing show. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is pure enjoyment for audiences of all ages from the suggested 11 years old.
As the name indicates, this musical is about the legendary song writer, singer, and musician Carole King. It ran on Broadway from 2013 – 2019. It won Tony Awards and numerous other theater awards.
The book for the show is by Douglas McGrath . Words and Music are by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil; all of whom are characters in the show.
The production at Paper Mill Playhouse is directed by Casey Hushion. Music Direction is by Wendy Bobbitt Cavett and Choreography is by Jennifer Werner.
The Paper Mill’s production of this show is first rate. Their large stage gives ample room for the entertaining musical numbers. The cast is fabulous with their acting and singing. Costumes are authentic to the era and fun to see. And the music is all beautifully played by the live orchestra.
This musical is a tribute to the women songwriters like King and her friend Cynthia Weil who were pioneers in the industry. They paved the way for generations of women songwriters who followed.
Part of the fun of this show is seeing how thinking in the music industry changed, grew, and progressed. You see what used to work and how it changed as the artists and types of music developed more and more.
Maybe one of the best parts of this show is knowing that it is based on a true story. If you are a fan of the Carole King catalog of songs, you will feel right at home. If you are not familiar with this music, you are in for a great time getting to know it.
But now, let’s focus on some of the major moments that make up the show.
How it Begins
The show opens as Carole (Kyra Kennedy) is trying to convince her mother (Suzanne Grodner) to let her go to Times Square area from their home in Queens. She has written a song and wants to try to sell it. The problem: Carole is only 16 but quite advanced for her age.
Eventually her mother, Genie Klein, gives in and Carole is on her way to the legendary Brill Building to meet with Don “Donnie” Kirshner (Bryan Fenkart).
People who enjoy learning about old systems in the music industry will relish seeing the scenes about the Brill Building. This unique office building held many music offices and studios. A large number of well known American pop songs came out of the building. In the first part of the show, we see how Brill Building songwriters would write songs which would be given to various artists and singing groups. This photo gives a good representation of how this is played in the show.
Clips of songs like Neil Sedaka’s “Oh Carol” (written for Carole King who he briefly dated), “Yakety Yak,” and “Love Potent #9” play in the “1650 Broadway Medley.”
Carole’s first meeting with Don goes pretty well and he likes what he hears. So Carole is on her way as “It Might as Well Rain Until September” gains her entrance in.
Carole Meets Gerry
Since Carole is only 16, she is still in school. She was very smart and skipped two grades so she was only around 16 when she entered Queens College. Here she meets Gerry Goffin (Marrick Smith). Gerry is a gifted lyrics writer but not the best with writing melodies. When he meets Carole and hears her talent, they start to work and write together. They realize they would make a great team. Eventually both drop out of college when Carole gets pregnant and they marry. They work during the day and write songs at night.
In the meantime, another two writers meet at the Brill Building and become a songwriting team. Cynthia Weil (Samantha Massell) and Barry Mann (Jacob Ben-Shmuel) become friends with Carols and Gerry . They develop a high spirited rivalry to see which group can get that next big song.
Finally, that Big Hit Song Comes
The stress of the new family and long work days is tiring. Carole and Gerry realize they need to write a song that will be a hit. And that big hit comes with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.” The Shirelles, a girl group hailing from Passaic, NJ. record it. It hits #1 on the charts and so Carole and Gerry were on their way.
As the show continues, we see them writing more hits and we also applaud for Weil and Mann as they chart with their songs. However, Carole’s and Gerry’s marriage runs into trouble as he has an affair. Their move to the suburbs of West Orange, NJ isn’t a happy one as portrayed in the song “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” Of course, the name for this song comes from Pleasant Valley Way where they lived and it is not too far from the Paper Mill Playhouse.
The musical brings in the next phases of Carole King’s life as she moves from the east coast out to California. She eventually becomes a performer and the show ends with her triumphant concert at Carnegie Hall.
A Lot of Music to Enjoy
One of the best parts of this show is the music. So many of the songs have become classics. A full orchestra provides outstanding music. Kyra Kennedy sings with a full and robust voice in her role as Carole King.
You may have songs you will wait to hear performed by this wonderful cast. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” is one of the big favorites along with “On Broadway.” The second act opens with “Chains’ which was later recorded by the Beatles and the heartache of “It’s Too Late” is heard towards the end of the show. We also see how the woman who was the babysitter for the Goffin children, Little Eva, gets her own record with the “The Locomotion,” a very enjoyable song and dance number.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Prologues
To learn more about Carole King’s background and her musical work, watch Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Prologues on YouTube. This Audience Enrichment piece comes from the Paper Mill’s Education Department.
Hosted by Lorna Jordan, you will see photos of Carole King growing up with her family in Queens, NY. There is also a collection of pictures of the music writers of the time.
This well done 13 minute piece gives you deeper insights to the music business then and now.
To See Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
To get tickets for this show, visit the Paper Mill Playhouse website. The direct link to more information about the show and ticket purchases, you can use this link: https://my.papermill.org/overview/beautiful .
The show runs 2 hours 30 minutes and that includes one 15 minute intermission.
The final performance is on July 3, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
NOTE: Photos in this article are provided courtesy of the Paper Mill Playhouse with credit to Jeremy Daniels.
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