At the peak of its diamond anniversary summer season, Totem Pole Playhouse is stirring sweet memories of a past generation’s best music in a powerful performance of legendary songwriter Carole King’s rise to fame.
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” — with book by Douglas McGrath and songs by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil — premiered in San Francisco more than a decade ago. Its Broadway debut (2014) swept two Tony Awards and a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album (2015).
The lively jukebox musical has since toured in the U.S., the UK, and Australia and continues to appear nationally and in regional theatres.
Directed and choreographed here by Christine O’Grady with music direction by Darren Server, the lights rise on King’s rocky journey from a shy teenage songwriter to the iconic solo artist credited with writing much of the soundtrack of the 1960s.
Hannah Taylor plays King, who — alone at the piano at Carnegie Hall — performs a gentle rendition of “So Far Away” as the intro to her inspiring performance.
Then, shifting to Brooklyn, NY in 1958, 16-year-old King convinces her reluctant mother (played by Taylor Whidden) to allow her to go to Manhattan for a shot at selling a song to music publisher and future Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer Don Kirshner (Sam Little). Genie wants her daughter to pursue a teaching career. But when King performs “It Might As Well Rain Until September” for Kirshner, he buys it and encourages her to write more songs.
While attending Queen’s College, King meets, becomes pregnant by, marries and teams with lyricist Gerry Goffin (John Ashley Brown) to pursue her dream.
The two rent an office space at 1650 Broadway in Times Square, become friends with fellow songwriters Cynthia Weil (Amy Decker) and Barry Mann (Jason Cohen), and begin writing a parade of smash hit songs for Kirshner in friendly competition.
Weil’s and Mann’s budding romance and their professional competition with King and Goffin highlight their own careers as the Company performs familiar hits they’ve written, including “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” “On Broadway,” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”
King and Goffins’ relationship falters when Goffin struggles with mental health issues and begins having affairs, first with Little Eva, who was the couple’s babysitter. King ultimately breaks free to soar solo when they divorce in the late sixties, and “It’s Too Late Baby,” performed by Taylor, reflects this turning point in King’s life and career.
While the storyline focuses primarily on King’s rise to stardom, her journey is hardly solo. It showcases dozens of well-known King songs as Company members portray stars such as Neil Sedaka, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Little Eva, and The Righteous Brothers.
King’s “Will You Still Love Me tomorrow,” performed by Sade Crosby, Kayla Louison, Janelle Odom and Sydney Townsend as the Shirelles, was the first “girl song” to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Cast members playing the Shirelles (led by Odom as Shirley) and the Drifters (Dave Abrams, James Major Burns, Marcus Jordan, and Mykal Sanders) well deserve their moments in the spotlight.
Along with the dozens of exciting song and dance numbers the Company performs, solos by Brad Myer as Neil Sedaka (“Oh, Carol!”), Townsend as Little Eva (“The Locomotion”), Cohen as Mann (“We Gotta Get Out of This Place”) and Decker as Weil (“He’s Sure the Boy I Love”) shine as bright as the stars in Caledonia State Park’s night sky.
Savvy show-biz style costumes designed by Azaria Jade Rubio (assisted by Taylor Vanaman) for the music numbers add glitzy visual treats that — teamed with O’Grady’s mostly crisp, complex choreography and bold lighting effects designed by Ryan B. Gibbs — transport the audience to 20th century pop concerts.
A rotating set (with scenic design by James Fouchard) accommodates dozens of flawless scene changes. And Wecker’s sound integrates with the cast’s physicality so well that their miming of playing musical instruments is unnoticeable.
The lead actors — Taylor, Brown, Decker, and Cohen — create excellent chemistry with great energy. Taylor is riveting as King, and Brown brings a sympathetic enough character as Goffin that he is impossible to hate despite his betrayals.
Decker and Cohen deliver one-liners that draw occasional laughs with expert comic timing. And though he’s not considered a lead, Little as Kirshner plays his key character beautifully — as do Taylor Whidden as Genie Klein, Bailey Wennik as Betty, ABT as Marilyn, and Nathan Frewen as Nick.
Fittingly, Taylor’s lovely solo performances of more than a dozen familiar songs escalate in Act 2 when King gains recognition as a singer, moves to LA, and records her smash-hit “Tapestry” album. Taylor sings “You’ve Got a Friend,” which King wrote as a farewell gift to Kirshner, Weil and Mann when she left New York.
“Beautiful” (performed by Taylor at Carnegie Hall) and “I Feel the Earth Move” (performed with the Company) are literally showstoppers.
Perhaps it is the depth of King’s emotions in her often-autobiographical lyrics that lends so many authentic moments to this jukebox musical. For as energizing as the prolific vocal performances play, “Beautiful” at Totem Pole Playhouse also tells a true and compelling coming-of-age tale — both musically and personally — in a very moving way.
Opening Night drew a standing ovation.
“Beautiful: The Carol King Musical” continues through Aug. 24 at The Totem Pole Playhouse, Caledonia State Park, 9555 Golf Course Rd, Fayetteville. Performances continue at 2 p.m. on Aug. 10, 12–14, 16–17, 19–21 and 23–24, and 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 13–14, 16–17, 20–21, and 23. All seats cost $55 excepting groups of 10 or more or juniors (age 5-15) and students (age 16-22). Call the box office, (717)-352-2154, ext. 1 for these discounts. For more information or to purchase general admission tickets, visit https://totempoleplayhouse.org.
Rounding out the Tech and Ensemble credits are: Jordan (Associate Director), Abrams (Associate Choreographer), Austin Stiles (Technical Director), Kate Wecker (Sound Designer), Kia Armstrong (Production Manager) Bethany Sortman (Production Stage Manager), and Little & Luke Reed (Properties Coordinators), ABT (Ensemble), Frewen (Righteous Brother), Wennick (Ensemble), Brandon Santos (Ensemble), Adam Shank (Ensemble), Korri Slamans (Ensemble), and Angel Snowberger (Genie Klein Understudy/Ensemble).
*Note: The strobe lights used in this production can be a bit overpowering.
Photo of John Ashley Brown as Gerry Goffin and Hannah Taylor as Carole King courtesy of Totem Pole Playhouse.
