A Well-Woven Tapestry: On Second Viewing, The Carole King Musical Remains 'Beautiful' -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Beautiful
The Carole King Musical
Cadillac Palace, Chicago
Thru January 28
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Although "jukebox musicals" featuring famous songs of a certain artist, genre, era, etc., long predate the 21st century, a plethora came along in the wake of Mamma Mia, whose cavalcade of ABBA classics bowed in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001.

In my estimation, some of these pop songbook shows have been quite good, not just musically but theatrically.

Along with Mamma Mia--which is just infectiously fun--Jersey Boys is probably the best jukebox musical, for the way it tells the story of The Four Seasons while representing more universal truths.

But while it might seem ridiculously easy to compile a bunch of pop hits and call it a musical--without having to write any new songs--it's actually a rather tricky enterprise.

The Million Dollar Quartet works wonderfully because it focuses on the music and personas of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis without much storyline, but many a jukebox musical has failed to fully satisfy due to a decidedly flimsy book, despite many fantastic songs.

Motown: The Musical and Rock of Ages come to mind in the latter regard, though there are many far worse examples (We Will Rock You, All Shook Up).

Photo credit on all: Matthew Murphy

And yet, while I can't say its narrative ever really digs deep, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical belongs in the upper echelon.

Not just of jukebox musicals, but--though a bit below the very best--among musicals of any kind.

This is largely what I thought--and even wrote--upon first seeing Beautiful, on tour in Chicago in December 2015.

But not only do I like seeing shows I enjoy multiple times, from a critical perspective it seems beneficial to take a second look to better gauge the merits of the material (and then, over time, to see a show as it moves onto regional, local and even community theater productions).

With a fine cast, including Chicago actress Sarah Bockel in the lead role--I'd seen her in a 2014 Hypocrites production of Into the Woods--as well as Andrew Brewer (as Gerry Goffin), Sarah Goeke (especially good as Cynthia Weil), Jacob Heimer (Barry Mann) and James Clow (Don Kirshner), this beholder believes Beautiful holds up quite beguilingly.

The outline of the show is pretty simple.

Starting in 1958, the show runs through Carole King--whose real name was Carol Klein--pitching early songs to producer Don Kirshner in a "songwriting factory" at 1650 Broadway in New York (near and similar to the Brill Building), meeting, collaborating with and marrying lyricist Gerry Goffin, having their songs recorded by various artists represented onstage (Shirelles, Drifters, etc.), befriending the rival songwriting team of Mann & Weil, experiencing marital discord, moving to LA and creating her landmark Tapestry album.

Douglas McGrath's book takes a few biographical creative liberties and is rather light in some aspects, but he and director Marc Bruni rather niftily work in a good deal not just about King and Goffin, but Mann & Weil as well, including a good handful of their songs.

Much of the joy in Act I comes from delectable enactments of artists singing King/Goffin and Mann/Weil compositions, and since the fun is abetted by the element of surprise, I'll just cite "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (by the Shirelles), "The Locomotion" (by Little Eva, played by Alexis Tidwell) and a great take on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by rather righteous Righteous Brothers (John Michael Dias, Matt Faucher).

Though Act II also has many great songs, it feels as though it is stretching a bit before getting to the Tapestry period (which in reality was King's third album in Los Angeles, including one as part of a trio called The City).

Except for an ebullient group encore, the show ends with King's 1971 solo concert at Carnegie Hall, when she was still just 29.

Given that she is now 75, it's hard to call Beautiful her "life story," but it really does hit the right notes.

Sure, some things happen a bit too breezily before our eyes, but as a "jukebox musical" it not only does a great job in delivering the music we want to hear--while Bockel does a swell job in helping us appreciate the breadth of King's talent--it serves also to depict a young woman finding her way in life.

Complete with career, romance, friendship, children, complications, betrayal, resolve and more.

All, at Chicago's Cadillac Palace until January 28, rendered quite beautifully.

One Fine Musical Carole: 'Beautiful' Weaves Some Kind of Wonderfully Tuneful Tapestry -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Thru February 21

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Even for those of us who wholeheartedly love musical theater, it's easy to be wary, even cynical, about idioms that are overdone and all too often underwhelming.

Although Broadway musicals featuring pre-existing songs of a popular artist or genre have long predated the 21st century--such as those celebrating George Gershwin, Fats Waller or Buddy Holly--as have musicals adapted from popular movies, both varieties have become ubiquitous in the new millennium. (See Wikipedia entries for Jukebox Musical and Musicals Based on Films)

And as with any art form that becomes over saturated, and exacerbated by mercenary motives, the quality of jukebox (or songbook) and screen-to-stage musicals has widely varied, with a proliferation of bad examples prompting thoughts of "Enough already!"

Photo credit on all: Joan Marcus

But in recent days and weeks, I've written @@@@1/2 reviews of two of the best jukebox musicals--Million Dollar Quartet and Mamma Mia!--while also citing a third that stands as a prime paragon: Jersey Boys.

Earlier this year, I also heaped high praise on the pre-Broadway Chicago production of On Your Feet!, the Gloria and Emilio Estefan musical, which served to remind that shows of any ilk or type can rise above the repetitive, derivative din if created with enough quality, distinction and panache.

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical reiterates this.

Based on the national tour's first night in Chicago, Beautiful isn't merely a crowd-pleasing affair--as many jukebox musicals are due simply to a plethora of beloved songs--but a classy, well conceived, crafted, paced and performed piece of musical theater. 

Even in keeping its scope to roughly 1958-1971, the show's book by Douglas McGrath--seemingly created with King's awareness and tacit approval but not direct involvement--doesn't delve super deep into the artist's life, and is somewhat cursory in broaching the marital discord that developed between, and ultimately split both personally and professionally, King and her husband/songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin. 

Nor is there much acute exploration of her, and their, brilliant songwriting craft and inspiration, such as that which made the recent Brian Wilson biopic, Love & Mercy, particularly good.

And while there is certainly compelling universality inherent in pursuing one's dreams amid long odds & parental skepticism, as well as matters of love, romance, friendship, motherhood, womanhood, collaboration, competition, success, relationship issues, betrayal, heartbreak, change, apprehension, resolve, triumph, success, etc., etc., based on my first viewing I don't believe Beautiful quite matches the metaphorical depth with which Jersey Boys so adroitly uses the story of the Four Seasons to reflect broader, more communal themes while portraying a bygone time & place. 

But under Marc Bruni's direction, with splendid-yet-relatively-sparse scenic design by Derek McLane, not only is Beautiful a joy to behold over its entire 2-1/2 hours, it serves to illuminate the rather remarkable rise, success and songs of King & Goffin (and then King alone) with considerable verve and a fair amount of emotional depth.

I found it considerably better than Motown: The Musical, another highly successful, still-running-on-Broadway
jukebox musical chock full of phenomenal songs (but a flimsy book).

This show is wonderfully staged, including in the way it introduces modern-day audiences to the concept of New York songwriting "factories" such as the Brill Building and 1650 Broadway, where King & Goffin and other legendary composer/lyricist teams (or solo songsmiths) wrote tunes largely for other acts to perform.

Aside from Carole King (Abby Mueller) and Gerry Goffin (Liam Tobin), the two most prominent characters in Beautiful are Barry Mann (Ben Fankhauser) and Cynthia Weil (Becky Gulsvig), another famed pair of married songwriters--as opposed to King & Goffin, she writes the lyrics and he the music--who forge a close friendship with the central couple, but also a professional rivalry.

In a show subtitled "The Carole King Musical," I was rather surprised by just how many Mann/Weil songs are prominently included. 

Amplified by superb replications of The Drifters, Shirelles, Little Eva and others who performed songs by one or both songwriting duos, this tack allows Beautiful to expand beyond being simply a Carole-centric biography while facilitating an even more astonishing cavalcade of hits. 

Because being surprised by the surplus of classics is part of the fun, not only won't I divulge many, I suggest you don't look at the song list in the program ahead of time. But Wikipedia can give you a sense of the quality and quantity of hits penned by King/Goffin and Mann/Weil, and if not well-versed in King's mammoth-selling 1971 Tapestry album, a bit of Spotifamiliarization is in order. 

Adding a unique wrinkle to an excellent touring version of a buzzworthy Broadway smash musical that actually merits the hype, is that as Carole King, Abby Mueller stars in the same role her sister Jessie Mueller originated--and won a Best Actress Tony Award for--on Broadway. 

Especially as the Mueller family is from Evanston, I find this rather neat.

I didn't get a chance to see Jessie in Beautiful on Broadway, but this past March I attended a Sarah Siddons Society Gala at the Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire, where Jessie was honored and--along with Abby and their likewise talented brothers, Matt and Andrew--performed.

So I've heard Jessie Mueller sing some Beautiful songs, quite phenomenally, but onstage at the splendiferous Oriental Theatre, Abby Mueller was outstanding in her own right.

From what I'd seen & heard at the benefit show, this wasn't a huge surprise, but it was "Some Kind of Wonderful" to note how good Abby sounded on "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," "You've Got a Friend" and other classic Carole King material.

Understandably, and non-detractingly, the narrative does some chronological cheating--Mann & Weil were wed much earlier in real-life than in the show's timeline--while also creating a composite character, taking a few creative liberties, etc., to make it all work, including enabling songs to be sung by an array of characters. (You may find this interview with Carole King by the Tribune's Chris Jones rather interesting along these lines.)

But work it does.

Beautifully.

Sure, A Christmas Carol is again playing at the Goodman Theatre just around the corner from the Oriental, but this holiday season--or well into February, if not again extended--another Carole should well make for "One Fine Day" in Chicago.

Or, of course, a Beautiful evening.

And, as opposed to many enjoyable but not indelible jukebox musicals, you should still love it tomorrow.