Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

The Zodiacs were back on stage with their production of ‘Beautiful – The Carole King Musical’, which marks the North West debut of this musical! Direction came from Valarie Ball, a stalwart of the group. The direction from Valarie was very good, with a good use of the space. The characters were well developed, ably supported by an able ensemble. The set was very good and inventive, with a scaffolding structure taking up the majority of the stage. The band were situated under this, with the top of the structure being used as another acting space. This structure pushed the action of the musical downstage, which worked very well. Other set pieces were brought on relatively quickly to help create the different locations. The use of levels was very good, and allowed different options for entrances and exits, which were utilised well. The costumes were well suited to each character, and help take the audience through the decades. A lot of attention to detail had been taken to the costumes to ensure they were correct for the each time period.

The musical director was Craig Price. Craig led the band very well, playing a lot of different styles covering decades of music. A lot of hard work had obviously been done with the cast, as the singing was of a high standard throughout. A shout out to Caitlin Monaghan on Percussion – it was a joy watching you work!

Choreography came from Jessica Martin. Jessica’s choreography suited each time period that was visited throughout the production. The dances of the boy and girl groups were simple and effective, very reminiscent of the time. The choreography was performed well by the cast.

Technical elements were good throughout. The sound balance between cast and band was very good. It was a shame that the projection near the conclusion of the production failed to happen. Hopefully, it was corrected for the rest of the run. The lighting was good throughout.

Taking on the role of Carole King was Beth Stratford, which marked her first leading role. This was a understated performance from Beth. She really understood the character, playing the emotional moments well, as well as showing the strength of Carole King’s character, whether it was standing up to her husband or forging her own singer-songwriter path. A very accomplished performance.

Michael Silverman played Gerry Goffin, Carole’s troubled husband and co-writer. This was a good performance from Michael, playing it with sincerity. A difficult role that Michael tackled well – it wasn’t overplayed at all. If anything, just be wary of your diction, especially in the more emotional scenes. Overall, it was a solid performance from Michael.

Francesca Wellman was a delight as Cynthia Weil. It was obvious from Francesca’s great characterisation that Cynthia was from the world of Broadway. The dry sense of humour and sarcastic line delivery was great, and really added to the character. It was clear that Francesca was really living as Cynthia, especially in the moving rendition of ‘You’ve Got a Friend’. A pleasing supporting role from Francesca.

Chris Doyle took on the role of Barry Mann. Chris was great as the foil to Francesca’s Cynthia. They do say that opposites attract, and this was evident in Chris’s portrayal as the hypochondriac, Barry Mann. As always, Chris’s vocals were great and he worked well with the rest of the cast, forming a believable friendship group with Beth, Michael and Francesca.

Debbie Allen had a delightful cameo as Genie Klein, Carole’s mother. Debbie had some funny moments, which she delivered well, getting the laughs from the audience.

Phil Murray did well as Donny Kirshner. From Phil’s performance, it was clear that there was a sense of care for Carole, which was nice to see.

The ensemble were kept busy throughout, playing a variety of people including well-known singers. The commitment shown throughout was exemplary, and the ensemble delivered their routines very well. There were numerous highlights from the ensemble, including ‘The Locomotion’ led by Chloe Pennington as Little Eva. This looked like a fun number to be involved with. The groups that appeared (The Shirelles, The Drifters, The Righteous Brothers and The Chiffons) all performed well together. They gelled well together, creating good routines, which felt very nostalgic. Sam Eggins impressed throughout, playing a number of roles. His vocals were very good as well.

Overall, this was a great production, with some amazing principal performances, an excellent band, and unique staging.

A big thank you to everyone at The Zodiacs for their kind invite and their hospitality. All the best for your next production, ‘Elf the Musical’.

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