As jukebox musicals go, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is pretty darn good, and the production at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park through Oct. 13 is pretty darn good, too.
While most jukebox musicals use a flimsy book as connecting material for a plethora of songs by a particular artist or genre, Beautiful has the advantage of having a genuinely interesting biography as its base and one helluva songbook.
It’s the story of the transformation of plucky 16-year-old college student Carole Joan Klein (Julianne Bretan) from future teacher-to-be to multi-award-winning singer/songwriter Carole King.
After selling a song to music impresario Donny Kirshner (Keith Baker), Carole connects with fellow college student and aspiring playwright Gerry Goffin (Noah Vondralee-Sternhill). Goffin also dabbles in lyric writing; they’re collaborating in no time flat. That collaboration leads to a daughter, a marriage and many hit songs.
Also in Kirshner’s orbit are Barry Mann (Drew Bolander) and Cynthia Weil (Tina Traboulsi). A friendship and competitive rivalry with King and Goffin ensue, with Mann and Weil’s story and songbook deserving of their own jukebox musical.
As one relationship grows, the other falters, and soon, King is solo. Never one to see herself as an on-stage performer, she finally comes into her own with the release of her classic album, Tapestries.
King and Goffin wrote a lot of the familiar hits of the ’60s, and those numbers are interspersed throughout the story with appearances by such groups as the Shirelles (Kellie Donnelly, Aja Gianola, Simoné Mosely), the Drifters (Jim Frankie Banks, Daniel Marchbanks, Malik Charles Wade I, Phillip Percy Williams) and the Righteous Brothers (Malcolm March, Michael Arbitter), with performances of such songs as “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”, “On Broadway” and “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.”
Director Sheri Lee Miller no doubt had her hands full casting a show this diverse and has a nice blend of North Bay regulars with talent from throughout the Bay Area.
Bretan is perfectly cast as King, convincingly portraying the transformation from a teen to a mature, independent woman. Vondralee-Sternhill is equally compelling as the troubled Goffin, and both deliver strong vocal work.
This is also true of Bolander and Traboulsi (Traboulsi, in particular, continues to impress with her work on local stages). Much of the show’s humor comes from these two characters, and both performers display significant comedic chops.
North Bay veterans Baker as Kirshner and Mary Gannon Graham as King’s not-very-supportive-until-she-is mother Genie also provide humor.
Lucas Sherman leads a strong but not overpowering nine-piece on-stage band and does the heavy lifting with his keyboard work.
Choreography was a big part of early ’60s musical acts, and choreographer Karen Miles put the ensemble to work recreating those movements with somewhat mixed results. While the ensemble’s work is generally strong (with a slight edge given to the work by the ladies), it could stand to tighten up over the show’s run.
It’s also nice to see Phillip Percy Williams back on stage.
Overall, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a very pleasant trip down musical memory lane.‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ runs through Oct. 13 in the Codding Theater at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder La., Rohnert Park. Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $12-$42. 707.588.3400. spreckelsonline.com.
