A BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL GEM IN SONOMA COUNTY
Carole King is unquestionably one of the most influential American songwriters of the late 20th century. Through October 13, Spreckels Theater Company presents a lovely production of Douglas McGrath’s Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, in Sonoma County’s biggest and best venue, the Codding Theatre at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park.
Julianne Bretan (Carole King)
Born Carole Klein, King (Julianne Bretan) was a sixteen-year-old college student—she skipped two years of high school—when she met her lyricist partner and later husband Gerry Goffin (Noah Vondralee-Sternhill). The pair penned “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” – arguably one of the most profound love songs every written. The song was a massive hit for The Shirelles and over the years has been covered by dozens of other artists.
Daniel Marchbanks, Malik Charles Wade I, Jim Frankie Banks (The Drifters)
(top) Drew Bolander, Kellie Donnelly, Malik Charles Wade I; (bottom) Malcolm March, Daniel
Marchbanks, Jim Frankie Banks, Aja Gianola, Michael Arbitter, and Simoné Mosely
This immersive musical production directed by Sheri Lee Miller is one part cultural history, one part a hike down musical memory lane, and one part a biography of the legendary King. McGrath’s simple linear narrative begins with King at home with her divorced mother Genie (Mary Gannon Graham), who encourages her daughter to become a teacher, and then follows her trajectory into superstardom, culminating in a re-enactment of King’s sold-out Carnegie Hall concert in the wake of the phenomenal success of her 1970s album Tapestry.
Drew Bolander (Barry Mann) & Tina Traboulsi (Cynthia Weil)
Julianne Bretan (Carole King) Tina Traboulsi (Cynthia Weil),
Drew Bolander (Barry Mann) & Keith Baker (Don Kirshner)
Miller book-ends the tale with the adult King, a thirty-something divorced mother of two, at the grand piano. It’s a very effective bit of staging. Bretan is not a big woman, but she has enormous stage presence and a huge voice — one with a wider dynamic range than the real Carole King. Backed by a phenomenal onstage band led by Lucas Sherman, Bretan captures King’s cadence and inflections without attempting exact mimicry.
Jim Frankie Banks (Ensemble), Daniel Marchbanks (Ensemble) & Malik Charles Wade I (Ensemble)
Along the way we meet visionary music industry executive Donny Kirschner (Keith Baker), instrumental in signing King and Goffin, and wisely sending their first hit to The Shirelles. He also signed songwriting team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (Drew Bolander and Tina Trabulsi, respectively) who became King and Goffin’s friendly rivals and lifelong friends. Bolander is tremendous as the hypochondriac Mann, while Trabulsi’s Cynthia is lightweight but potent. As is true of too many smitten young women, King attached herself ever so loyally to a man who proved enormously disloyal to her. The rise-and-fall of Carole and Gerry’s relationship is a strong secondary plot. McGrath’s spare narrative is reflected in Miller’s spare staging, with only a pair of upright pianos and a few pieces of furniture to convey the scenes.
Malcolm March (Nick), & ensemble members Aja Gianola, Kellie Donnelly & Simoné Mosely
Noah Vondralee-Sternhill (Gerry Goffin) & Julianne Bretan (Carole King)
Beautiful is not merely a Carole King extravaganza. It’s also a celebration of much of the pop music of the 1960s and ‘70s. We meet The Drifters (Jim Frankie Banks, Phillip Percy Williams, Malik Charles D. Wade, and Daniel Marchbanks) and The Shirelles (Kellie Donnelly, Aja Gianola, and Simoné Moseley) delivering some of their greatest hits. Costumes by Adriana Gutierrez and choreography by Karen Miles are perfectly of the era.
Simoné Mosely (Janelle Woods), Kellie Donnelly, & Aja Gianola
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical is not merely a cultural celebration but a much-needed feel-good experience. Closing weekend comes soon – get to this show if at all possible. It’s an engaging, praiseworthy production.
photos by Jeff Thomas
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical
Spreckels Theatre Company
Spreckels Performing Arts Center’s Codding Theatre
5409 Snyder Lane in Rohnert Park
Fri and Sat at 7:30; Sun at 2
ends on October 13, 2024
for tickets ($16-$42), call 707.588.3400 or visit Spreckels
Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.