Posts Tagged ‘cynthia weil’

“Beautiful” Lives Up to Its Title at STAGES With Heartfelt Celebration of Music, Creativity, and Friendship

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Book by Douglas McGrath
Words & Music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Directed and Choreographed by Jennifer Werner
STAGES St. Louis
September 24, 2025

David Socolar, Kailey Boyle, Brianna Kothari Barnes, Jeff Cummings
Photo by Phillip Hamer
STAGES St. Louis

Seeing different productions of the same show can bring out different aspects of the show, also while highlighting the reasons why certain shows succeed so well at telling their stories on multiple levels. STAGES St. Louis’s latest offering, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, is the third and “smallest” production I’ve seen of this show, after the touring show at the Fox a few years ago and the lavish Muny production in 2023. While all three productions have been excellent, each one seems to have its own “personality”, and this one at STAGES, under the direction of Jennifer Werner and featuring a fantastic cast, comes across as perhaps the most personal of all.

The smartly-scripted musical focuses on legendary singer-songwriter Carole King (Brianna Kothari Barnes), who started out as a Brooklyn teenager with a gift for composing music and a mother, Genie Klein (Amy Loui), who encourages her daughter to pursue a more “stable” career as a music teacher. But the talented and ambitious Carole is determined to make it as a songwriter, soon meeting publisher/producer Don Kirshner (Jeff Cummings), and selling her first song. She also meets Gerry Goffin (Sean McGee), who soon becomes her partner in both songwriting and life, as the two marry, have a baby, and eventually find success with a series of hit songs performed by popular artists like the Drifters (Ian Coulter-Buford, Trey McCoy, Devin Price, Justin Reynolds),the Shirelles (Tatiana Bahoque, Tiffany Francés, Sydney Quildon, Alexandrea Reynolds), and Little Eva (also Quildon). Carole and Gerry also become close friends and professional rivals with another couple, the songwriting team of Barry Mann (David Socolar) and Cynthia Weil (Kailey Boyle). The story follows Carole through the pop music scene of the 1960s as well as challenges in her marriage as Gerry begins to feel restless and deals with mental health and substance abuse issues, finally leading up to her emergence as a solo artist and the debut of her Grammy-winning album Tapestry and a celebrated concert at Carnegie Hall. 

It’s an insightful look at the American pop music scene from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, as well as a celebration of King’s talent, personality, and artistic development. It’s also a compelling look at friendships among creative artists, and the triumphs and temptations of show business. With the more intimate staging of this production and the smaller ensemble, the personal aspects of King’s life seem to stand out more, as do the personal interaction among artists and writers. The staging is well-paced, and the cast is well-chosen, led by a charismatic and relatable Barnes, who sings in King’s style with ease and displays strong stage presence and chemistry with her co-stars, especially McGee’s charming but erratic Gerry, and the memorable standouts Boyle as Cynthia and Socolar as Barry. Cummings is also a highlight as the commercially-focused but supportive Kirshner. There’s also a first-rate ensemble playing all those superstars of yesteryear also including the Righteous Brothers (Hugh Entrekin, RJ Woessner), Neil Sedaka (Woessner), and Janelle Woods (Bahoque). 

The look, sound, and vibe of the eras portrayed are marvelously well-realized, with a kinetic, eye-catching set by Peter Barbieri, dazzling lighting design by Sean M. Savoie, and excellent sound by Breanna Fais. The colorful, detailed period costumes by Cat Lovejoy also add to the overall mood and atmosphere, and there’s a great band led by music director David Nehls, bringing to life all those well-known hits including “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”, “You’ve Got a Friend”, “One Fine Day”, and many more. Werner’s choreography is also a highlight, and the staging on production numbers like the especially memorable “The Locomotion” is stellar.

Ultimately, what comes across here in an especially powerful way is the real sense of connection and friendship, with the “You’ve Got a Friend” sequence featuring Carole along with Weil, Mann, and Kirschner being a particularly  heartwarming moment. Beautiful is a show that celebrates the life and work of Carole King, but also the music and eras in which she got her start. At STAGES, the show lives up to its title, highlighting the beauty of music, friendship, and creativity. 

Brianna Kothari Barnes and Cast
Photo by Phillip Hamer
STAGES St. Louis

STAGES St. Louis is presenting Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center until October 19, 2025

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The Muny’s Thoughtfully Staged “Beautiful” Opens the Season in Style

Posted in Snoop's Soapbox, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Book by Douglas McGrath
Words and Music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Choreographed by Patricia Wilcox
The Muny
June 13, 2023

Steven Good, Sara Sheperd, Noah Weisberg, Jarrod Spector, Jackie Burns
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny’s 105th season has begun in Forest Park, and it’s off to a great start. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is making a strong impression way beyond simple nostalgia. With a great cast, excellent production values, and thoughtful staging, it’s a tribute not just to a great singer-songwriter, but to several musical eras and the overall evolution of the pop music scene. 

As the title says, this show is about Carole King, the legendary singer-songwriter known for her collaborations with first husband Gerry Goffin, as well as her celebrated solo career. Even though King’s career went beyond the early 1970s, this show focuses mostly on her formative years, beginning and ending in 1971 and framed as a reflection/flashback showing how King got to this point, a concert at Carnegie Hall supporting her famous album Tapestry. From that legendary stage, we go back to Brooklyn in the late 1950s, where teenage Carole (Sara Sheperd) is a college student and aspiring songwriter, even though her mother, Genie (Sharon Hunter) wants her to be a teacher. Carole is persistent, and heads to Times Square and the office of record producer Don Kirschner (Noah Weisberg), who buys her first song. Soon, she finds herself struggling to write good lyrics, and meets Gerry Goffin (Steven Good), who becomes her writing partner and, eventually, her husband. The story then follows their success as songwriters and the development of the music industry and the trends in music, as well as Carole and Gerry’s friendship and professional rivalry with fellow songwriting couple Cynthia Weil (Jackie Burns) and Barry Mann (Jarrod Spector). The story also covers Carole’s personal struggles with her increasingly difficult marriage, as well as her development as an artist in her own right. 

I’ve seen this show before, when the national tour based on the Broadway production came to the Fox Theatre. That was an excellent production, and I was sort of expecting a similar staging at the Muny, but this isn’t a replica of that staging. As directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge and featuring a dynamic set by Ryan Douglass, this show evokes the look, sound, and overall vibe of the era with an always moving but also reflective energy. The costumes by Tracy Christensen fit the characters well and illustrate the changing times with style. There’s also dazzling lighting by Rob Denton and excellent video design by Kylee Loera. The Muny Orchestra, led by music director Charlie Alterman, does an excellent job with the familiar score of pop hits by King and a variety of others including the Shirelles, the Righteous Brothers, The Drifters, and more. 

As for the cast, Sheperd makes an ideal Carole King, with her strong vocals and relatable stage presence. Sheperd manages to do justice to King’s hit songs as well as portraying the artist as she grows and matures. Sheperd works especially well with Good, who’s impressive as the increasingly troubled Goffin; as well as Burns and Spector, who display strong chemistry and great voices as Weil and Mann. There’s also excellent work from Weisberg as the ambitious, encouraging Kirschner, and Hunter as King’s supportive mother. The ensemble, playing a variety of roles from famous recording artists, to fans, to friends, is also memorable, contributing to the story with energy and strong vocals. 

It was a packed audience on press night, full of appreciative fans who clapped along to the music, danced in their seats, and contributed to the enthusiastic Muny atmosphere on a truly beautiful evening in Forest Park. This production of Beautiful certainly lives up to its title. It’s a thoughtfully staged, ideally cast show that serves as a magnificent beginning to a promising Muny season.

Sara Sheperd (Center) and Cast of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny is presenting Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in Forest Park until June 18, 2023

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A “Beautiful” Celebration of a Legendary Artist at the Fox

Posted in St Louis Theatre, USA Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Beautiful, the Carole King Musical
Book by Douglas McGrath
Words and Music by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil
Directed by Marc Bruni
The Fox Theatre
February 23, 2016

Curt Bouril, Liam Tobin, Abby Mueller, Ben Fankhauser, Becky Gulsvig Photo by Joan Marcus Beautiful National Tour

Curt Bouril, Liam Tobin, Abby Mueller, Ben Fankhauser, Becky Gulsvig
Photo by Joan Marcus
Beautiful North American Tour

Carole King is a living legend. First as a songwriter and then as a  singer-songwriter, she made a name for herself in the music industry with many memorable hits. Even today, many people who don’t recognize her name will know her songs. Beautiful, The Carole King Musical tells the story of how she came to fame, as well as giving us a picture of the developing music scene in the 60s and 70s. The show was a big hit and is still running on Broadway, and now the North American Tour has brought this vibrant show to St. Louis, with an excellent cast and a whole lot of energy.

Although I’m generally skeptical of “jukebox” musicals, I had heard great things about this one, as well as comparisons to one of the best of this type of show, Jersey Boys.  Beautiful has a lot in common with Jersey Boys, actually, in terms of its having a strong book telling the story of several important figures in the history of music. The tone is even more upbeat and optimistic, however, although it does cover some difficult times in King’s life as well. King (Abbey Mueller) is obviously the central figure, but this isn’t only her story. Her life entwines closely with that of her college sweetheart, songwriting partner, and eventual husband Gerry Goffin (Liam Tobin), as well as those of songwriting colleagues, friends, and friendly rivals Cynthia Weil (Becky Gulsvig) and Barry Mann (Ben Fankhauser).  The story follows King from when she was still a teenager living with her mother, Genie Klein (Suzanne Grodner), to her early days as a songwriter for publisher Don Kirshner (Curt Bouril), to her heyday as part of a songwriting duo with Goffin, to marital struggles and changes in the country’s musical tastes, and finally to her rise in fame as a singer, culminating in the release of her most famous album, Tapestry.

The story is told in generally linear format, after a small prologue scene set during King’s Carnegie Hall concert that also ends the show. The story is punctuated with Goffin/King songs and Mann/Weil songs as well as a few other popular songs of the era. Groups like the Drifters, the Shirelles, and the Righteous Brothers are represented here as well, telling the story of King’s career and rocky partnership with the charming but unpredictable Goffin. There’s also a story of the developing relationship of Mann and Weil as a contrast to King and Goffin’s tumultuous marriage. The song performances are a highlight, with famous hits such as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “One Fine Day” given dramatic settings that serve to advance the plot as well as celebrate that period in music history. It’s fascinating to watch as the songs are developed, and especially as King introduces some of her more well-known solo hits later in the show, such as “It’s Too Late”, “Beautiful”, and an especially endearing staging of “You’ve Got a Friend”.

The casting of King is essential, and Abby Mueller is an ideal choice for the role. With a voice remiscent of King’s without sounding like an impression, and an engaging personality, warmth and energy, Mueller plays King’s growth from a naive young aspiring songwriter to a more seasoned artist and performer extremely well. She carries the emotional weight of her personal story with admirable truth, as well. She’s well-matched with Tobin as the charismatic, increasingly troubled Goffin. Gulsvig as Weil is a standout, with a strong voice and spunky personality, and Fankhouser is in excellent voice as Mann. There are also winning performances from Bouril as the supportive music publisher Kirshner, and Grodner as King’s stubbornly devoted mother. There’s a strong ensemble as well, playing a variety of roles from famous musical acts to session players and more.

The time and place, as well as the transition between the various periods of King’s life, is evoked well by means of Derek McLane’s versatile set, with set pieces that slide on and off stage as needed to represent King’s various homes, the music publishing office, Carnegie Hall and beyond. There are also colorful, detailed costumes by Alejo Vietti, ranging from every day 50’s, 60’s and 70’s fashions to the more glamorous, glitzy costumes of the various performers. The lighting by Peter Kaczorowski effectively sets the mood and scene, as well.

The formative years of popular music are well-represented in this energetic, well-constructed and impressively staged musical. It’s about Carole King, and much of the show’s appeal centers on Mueller’s outstanding portrayal, but there’s a lot more here as well. It’s a story not only of music makers, but of the music itself, and the music is gloriously performed and presented. It’s a brilliant celebration of the life and work of a well-known, much-lauded singer and songwriter.

Abby Mueller Photo by Joan Marcus Beautiful North American Tour

Abby Mueller
Photo by Joan Marcus
Beautiful North American Tour

 The North American Tour of Beautiful, the Carole King Musical runs at the Fox Theatre until March 6, 2016.

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