Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Details
Born Carol Joan Klein in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, Carole King grew up to become one of the most successful singers and songwriters of the 20th century. Between 1955 and 1999, she wrote exactly 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100. King is a four-time Grammy winner and her 1971 album Tapestry holds up today as one of the greatest albums of all-time. Her music inspired generations of Americans, and now they can see the story of her life and career portrayed on-stage in the Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Interspersing songs from throughout her career, the show opens with a teenager King struggling against her mother’s protectiveness as she seeks to forge a career in the music industry. It goes on to depict her relationship with her musical partner, Gerry Goffin, her transition from songwriter to performer and, finally, the unprecedented success of Tapestry.
After premiering in San Francisco in October of 2013, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical made its Broadway debut at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in January of 2014. For the summer of 2017, the show stars Abby Mueller (Kinky Boots) as King; Chilina Kennedy (Jesus Christ Superstar) will return to the role in September after starring in a production in Toronto. The cast also includes Evan Todd (Heathers) as Goffin, Jessica Keenan Wynn (Heathers) as Cynthia Weil and Ben Jacoby (The Phantom of the Opera) as Barry Mann. For four weeks from December 2017 through January 2018, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical will play at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre.