I was seeing musicals before I ever saw a concert. The music of Carole King has been a constant comfort in my life. So when I heard of the musical Beautiful’s creation, I was so hopeful it would eventually land on Australian shores. My parents saw it on Broadway and raved about it, and that only heightened my anticipation. But could it possibly live up to all that hype. For me it’s an emphatic yes.
The performance of Esther Hannaford as Carole is the lynchpin of this performance and she excels. Carole has such a unique way about her and Esther captures her voice and mannerisms without ever becoming a caricature. She’s supported beautifully by other key players: Josh Piterman as the troubled, complex love of her life Gerry Goffin, Amy Lehpamer as her vivacious and loyal friend and fellow songwriter of note Cynthia Weil, and Mat Verevis as Cynthia’s own songwriting partner and beau Barry Mann. While this isn’t Weil and Mann’s musical, as a fan of their music I was excited to learn a little more about the lives of the creators. The chorus of minor players was also exceptional. They brought us The Drifters, The Shirelles, Little Eva, and the songwriters of Don Kirshner’s Dimension Records in a such superb voice and retro fashion.
The music of the era, especially the songs of Carole King, both on her own and with Gerry Goffin, are key to Beautiful’s success. But the story is no afterthought. It’s told with heartbreak and humour drawing the viewer in and helping them understand more about these songs that are such a part of the upbringing of many of us. The players weren’t there just because they could sing and dance well, but also because they could bring the right emotional note to that story. It was a curious decision to refer to a “Nick” who encouraged Carole as she broke away from Gerry and resolved to start a new musical journey in California, when it so easily could have been James Taylor. But this was really my only quibble as I watched Carole transition from teenage Carole Klein to the Grammy-Award winning Carole King playing Carnegie Hall.
Beautiful is at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre until February 4. It will then travel to Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane.