Charleston Stage’s Production of ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ is an absolute triumph of the spirit
By Mark A. Leon
In a journey of art imitating life, this celebration of the life and music of Carole King is brought to life with passion and heart.
On a rare occasion an actor is presented with an opportunity where life and art become one. Eliza Knode, second year resident actor, was born to play Carole King. From a young 16-year-old adolescent with dreams of composing music to heartbreak to icon, Eliza captures the essence of Carole King’s personal journey with unwavering emotional drive. Her powerful vocal range, spot on Brooklyn accent and likeness to Carole made her the perfect lead in this musical drama.
Though the play is formally structured in two acts, it’s transformative narrative sneaks in a third act when Carole’s liberation is complete, and her voice is found. When Carole let all the pain and suffering out with her rendition of “It’s Too Late” in a small Manhattan club, audience emotions began to rise. This marked the beginning of the triumphant and iconic rebirth of Carole King that would become “Tapestry”, one of the most celebrated albums of the 20th century. As she approaches a new beginning in Laurel Canyon and says goodbye to the devoted friends who supported her, she expresses what everyone in the room was feeling with an acoustic and deeply personal version of “You’ve Got a Friend”.
The character of Gerry Goffin is a complex one filled with blind ambition, self-doubt and uncertainty and it was played exquisitely by Dominick Ventrella. Through all his faults and misguided actions, there was a level of empathy felt by the audience to forgive and accept. That was a challenging and complex role that Dominick filled with sheer talent.
We were charmed by Kyra Mckillip and Brendan Considine who played Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann respectively. As competitive writing partners to Carole and Gerry as well as their best friends, Kyra and Brendan brought comic relief and modern romanticism to the stage throughout the performance.
Colin Waters as Don Kirshner, the power-hungry producer with a heart of gold, was endearing and a powerful presence with each scene he supported.
One of the most vital support characters in the entire play was the culture and music of the time. Depicting the transformation and uncertainty of the music industry in the 1960’s from the Drifters and Shirelles to Dylan and Diana Ross is always a delicate task. It was a decade of domestic unrest, generational change and musical evolution. It was critical to respect the time and incorporate it into the narrative. This was done with precision accuracy thanks to the wonderful vision of director, Marybeth Clark whose adaptation of the book by Douglass McGrath and the words and music by the incomparable Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil was done with thoughtfulness and flare.
Each and every musical performance that supported this storyline was wonderfully acted and sung by Elisha Black, Baron L Clay Jr., K’nique Eichelberger, Cody Elsensohn, Brietta Goodman, Kayla Green, Clyde Moser, William Rutowski, Ariana Snowden, Eddie Weaver, Matthew Willingham and Jhonika Wright.
Charleston Stage has bestowed a gift upon us a gift: The life of Carole King and the soundtrack of so many of our lives. From “Some Kind of Wonderful” to “Up on the Roof”; “On Broadway” to The Locomotion”; “Will You Still Love Me” to “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, the audience is swept away to a different time when the most unlikely hero would emerge from a period of darkness to record one of the most important albums ever.
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” is captivating exploration of the human spirit. It reminds us that life may not always go the way we plan, but sometimes it takes us where we need to be.
It is a reminder that dreams come with a price and the path can be paved with broken glass, but with friends, loved ones, support and never letting go of your dreams, life can be so beautiful.
Warning: In the end, when you are done wiping the tears, you may find yourself dancing in the aisles!
Click HERE to purchase tickets for Sunday or next weekend.
Charleston Daily
Charleston Daily is a concept in community. Its mission is to promote, assist, and celebrate in everything Charleston, South Carolina. By partnering with businesses, community leaders, volunteers and events, we are spreading the love that is Charleston. As this city continues to grow and prosper, we want to help spread the message to all about how wonderful this community is. Charleston is about the people, community, water, land, history, heritage and the true southern warmth it brings with each and every day.