**** Highly Recommended Paramount Theatre’s production of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical is dazzling audiences. Beautiful is without a doubt my favorite jukebox ever. The music is timeless, the choreography spectacular, the costumes glitter and I can’t say enough good things about star, Tiffany Topol. Hurry and get your tickets, they’ll be going fast for this must-see musical. I give “Beautiful” 4 BIG Spotlights.
As Carole King, Topol is onstage virtually the entire show, and singing much of that time. Her voice is clear and true, showing an incredible range, whether she was singing a catchy rock and roll tune or a country ballad. The show opens – and closes – with Carole King playing a grand piano at her famous concert at Carnegie Hall.
A couple of background notes on Carole King. Carol Klein was raised by her single mom, Genie Klein (Laura T. Fisher) in Brooklyn. She played her first gig in public when she was about eight. While she was still in high school, she changed her name to Carole King, formed a band with her friend Paul Simon, and briefly went out with Neil Sedaka.
Carole King was 17 when she sold her first song to Don Kirschner (Ian Paul Custer). While attending Queens College (she skipped two grades), she met Gerry Goffin (C.J. Blaine Eldred). When they discovered their mutual interest in songwriting, they started collaborating – she wrote the music, he wrote the lyrics. Soon after they sold their first song to Kirschner, Carole got pregnant and they got married. It is ironic that someone who just wanted to have a normal life as a wife and mother, ended up an international superstar!
The first act of Beautiful is devoted to the music King and Goffin wrote for other singers at Kirschner’s ‘song factory’ at 1650 Broadway, New York City, as well as some of the hits written by another of Kirshner’s successful songwriting teams, Barry Mann (Christopher Kale Jones) & Cynthia Weil (Rebecca Hurd), who became their best friends as well as competitors. By the way, there’s an early cameo of Neil Sedaka (Luke Nowakowski) – another Kirschner singer/songwriter – who pops up (on TV) singing Oh Carol, then pops out (TV turned off).
Some songs, like So Far Away, It Might as Well Rain Until September and Take Good Care of My Baby are sung by Carole, Gerry and the ensemble. Barry Mann, Cindy Weil and the ensemble sing Who Put the Bump and He’s Sure the Boy I Love. Some songs start with the songwriters – either King-Goffin or Mann-Weil – singing for Kirschner, then segue into actual performances.
The Drifters (Averis I. Anderson, Corey Barrow, Jared David Michael Grant, Calvin Scott Roberts) sing King-Goffin hits, like Some Kind of Wonderful and Up on the Roof, as well as the Mann-Weil hit On Broadway.
The Shirelles (Marta Bady, Lydia Burke, Ariana Burks, Shelbi Voss) sing Will You Love Me Tomorrow? The Goffins lost their baby sitter when LIttle Eva (Ariana Burks) recorded The Locomotion.
The Righteous Brothers (Luke Nowakowski, Matt Thinnes) sing You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling. Finally, Janelle Woods (Marta Bady) and the ensemble sing One Fine Day.
Act II begins at the ‘song factory’, with King-Goffin hits, Chains and Pleasant Valley Sunday and Mann-Weil hits, Walking in the Rain, and We Gotta Get Out of This Place.
While King was more and more successful, her marriage to Gerry Goffin was breaking up. After everything fell apart, King decided to move to California. As she was leaving, she sang a moving rendition of You’ve Got a Friend as a goodbye to her New York friends.
The rest of the show focuses on her Tapestry album, which was filled with songs like It’s Too Late, You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman and Beautiful.
NOTE *** Whatever you do, don’t leave before the curtain calls! If you skip out as the applause starts, you’ll miss your chance to stand up and rock with an encore version of I Feel the Earth Move!
Also appearing in Beautiful: Clare Kennedy as Betty/Marilyn Wald, Matt Thinnes as the voice of Dick Clark/Matt, Lydia Burke as Lucille/Backup Singer, Shelbi Voss as Uptown Singer/Backup Singer, Luke Nowakowski as Lou Adler, and Conor Jordan as Carnegie Hall Announcer.
The Beautiful ensemble includes: Averis J. Anderson, Marta Bady, Corey Barlow, Core Barrow, Lydia Burke, Ariana Burks, Michaela Dukes, Tiyanna Gentry, Jared David Michael Grant, Conor Jordan, Clare Kennedy, Kevin Kuska, Donna Louden, Yasir Muhammad, Luke Nowakowski, Colleen Perry, Calvin Scott Roberts, Abby C. Smith, Matt Thinnes and Shelbi Voss.
The Paramount orchestra, conducted by Kory Danielson & associate conductor, Celia Villacres, includes: Sean McNeely (Reed 1 – Flute, Oboe, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax), Lara Regan (Reed 2 – Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Bari Sax), Mark Olen (Trumpet/Flugelhorn), Catie Hickey (Trombone/Bass Trombone), Kory Danielson (Keyboard 1), Cameron Tragesser (Keyboard 2), Celia Villacres (Keyboard 3), Dave Saenger (Guitar 1 – Electric Stratocaster, Electric Gretsch, Nylon String), Justin LaForte (Guitar 2 – Acoustic, Electric, Electric Telecaster, Steel String Acoustic, 12-String), Chuck Webb (Bass - Electric, Acoustic), and Dan Leali (Drums).
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical runs through June 16th at the Paramount Theatre, 23 East Galena Blvd, Aurora. Valet parking is available, plenty of street parking too.
Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes, with an intermission. Performances are Wednesdays at 1:30 and 7:00 p.m.; Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.; Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.; Sundays at 1:00 and 5:30 p.m. Tickets range from $56-$158. FYI (630) 896-6666 or www.paramountaurora.com