Carole King is arguably one of the greatest artists ever. I'm a big fan of her music and was seriously wondering why I hadn't seen Beautiful yet, the musical about her life.
Beautiful has been running for over four years now and it's clear to see why. A talented cast (including the understudies -- I saw Julia Knitel as Carole and she was amazing), great songs, and a very fun sing along at the end make more an unbeatable hit. One amazing thing about this show is that you get to learn more not only about Carole's life but about the inspiration behind her music, and the drive she had as a young artist.
And it's not just about her, but about her close friends and family as well. Good friendship and family aspects to a show is something I can always appreciate! The other thing I love about this show is that it comes full circle. It starts and ends in the same place -- taking the time to tell us how Carole got there without holding back.
The night I was there the house was packed! Some shows that have been running for a long time (several years) don't fill the house, but Beautiful sure seems to. With the classic music I can understand why people go.
My favorite moments from the show were not necessarily the ones where a fabulous song is being sung. Ones where the characters were talking, working on a song, and any of the emotional moments were just as memorable as the music, and that is thanks to the fantastic cast.
Of course, a review of this show is not complete with getting into the music! Often times other artists (who didn't write the original material) can't perform as well as the original. But that is not the case with this cast. They did these songs justice, my favorites numbers being "On Broadway", "You've Got a Friend", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" "Beautiful" and "I Feel the Earth Move". That said, I really loved all the music, those are just my personal favorites.
If you're a fan of Carole King or not, I would recommend this show. Anyone can have a good time at the show (I promise!) and you will leave with the songs stuck in your head for several weeks -- and that's not a bad thing!