Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tells the inspirational true story of Carole King’s remarkable rise from teenage songwriter to global superstar. After fighting her way into the record business as a schoolgirl Carole enjoyed some success, but it was when her personal life began to crack that she found her true voice. She went on to become one of the most successful solo artists in pop music history.
If you are not familiar with Carole King and her story, you are still sure to recognise her music. The production is bursting with iconic hits from the 60s and 70s, including (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, I Feel The Earth Move, You’ve Got A Friend, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, and Locomotion. I heard several theatre goers singing along to the familiar tunes. By the end of the show, people were literally on their feet dancing.
It is no exaggeration to say the cast are all outstanding. Esther Hannaford shines in the title role, leading the way for the rest of the performers. Hannaford sings hit after hit, with passion and soul, as though she had written them herself; you will believe that she is Carole King herself. During the show, Hannaford matures from a 16 year old girl to a 30-something woman. Physically, the transformation is achieved largely by changing Hannaford’s hair and clothes. Hannaford then convinces us of these changes, brought to life by her incredible acting prowess.
Josh Pieterman as Carole’s husband, Gerry Goffin and Lucy Maunder and Mat Verevis as Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, Carole and Gerry’s bitter rivals and best friends, also perform well. The chemistry between Maunder and Verevis is perfect and it is easy to believe that these two have an intimate connection. A lot of the best lines are saved for Carole’s mother Genie Klein (Anne Wood). She gets the laughs and these are well deserved. Wood’s facial expressions, comic timing and dry wit give life to the writer’s words.
The story is equal parts funny, heart wrenching, tragic and thought provoking. Beautiful challenges ideas of what it means to be successful, what role women should play and what society will find acceptable in an era when the music scene was coming of age.
Beautiful is now playing at the Lyric Theatre QPAC until Sunday 2 September. I encourage you to book early, as this looks sure to sell out.
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