-by Jamie Flowers
photo by Mark Garvin
The Tony and Grammy Award-winning BEAUTIFUL – The Carole King Musical tells the inspiring true story f one woman’s remarkable journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Long before she was Carole King, chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah. She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her twenties, had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock ‘n’ roll. But it wasn’t until her personal life began to crack that she finally managed to find her true voice.
BEAUTIFUL – The Carole King Musical features over two dozen pop classics, including “You’ve Got a Friend,” “One Fine Day,” “Up on the Roof,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” and “Natural Woman.”
Walnut Street Theatre’s production of the musical is an absolute must see and it is only here for a few more days, until May 5th! The cast absolutely knocks it out of the park with their amazing performances. Sara Sheperd plays Carol King so beautifully, from awkward teenager to a true icon of a rock star. Her voice is strong, as she grows up before your very eyes. The role of Gerry Goffin is now played by Elliot Litherland and he is perfect. I am very critical of actors and how they portray mental illness and drug use, because it leads to stereotypes and stigmatization, but I think he did a fantastic job. Litherland utilized the symptoms of bipolar in a realistic way that showed how much this person/ character actually went through and how much it would have impacted those around him. His voice was also awesome.
Other standouts are the fantastic Kathryn Boswell as Cynthia Weil, Eddie Olmo II as Barry Mann, Fran Prisco as Don Kirshner and Sabrina Profitt as Genie Klien. I wouldn’t change a thing about a show that has audiences up in the aisles dancing to hits that have been around for over 60 years.
Also playing at the Walnut until May 5th is the DreamWorks Madagascar – A Musical Adventure Jr., performed by Walnut Street Theatre for Kids! Walnut relies on donations and sponsors to support arts education through theatre school, Camp Walnut, touring outreach, a residency program, an adopt-a-school program, professional apprenticeships and theater for kids.
For more information or to buy tickets to either show, check out https://www.walnutstreettheatre.org
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