Monet Sabel powers the evening in Slow Burn Theatre’s Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Photos by Larry Marano)
By Oline Cogdill
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, currently receiving a highly entertaining production by Slow Burn Theatre Co., is more than a story about how a teenager evolved into one of the first successful female rock singer/songwriters.
For many of us, Beautiful is the soundtrack of our youth, the music a touchstone of the culture of the 1960s and 1970s and a trajectory of American rock music, going from light, teeny-bopper tunes to deeper lyrics.
Slow Burn’s Beautiful, running through March 1 at the Broward Center, is an overall polished production—pure enjoyment that dips into a history of rock ‘n’ roll, under the solid direction of Slow Burn co-founder Patrick Fitzwater with precise choreography by Cat Pagano.
But like King’s career, not all has been smooth with this production as Slow Burn overcame several challenges, as did King. Due to multiple illnesses in the cast, Slow Burn was forced to cancel its scheduled opening weekend. Instead, Beautiful opened on Feb. 18, with one ensemble member having to be replaced. To make up for the lost performances, Slow Burn has added three additional shows.
But Slow Burn’s problems last week are not evident in its run. In a true the show must go on tradition, the cast, musicians and production staff don’t miss a beat in bringing to life Carole King’s story.
Let’s get the history lesson out the way. According to several sources and the plot of Beautiful, King wrote or co-wrote at least 118 songs that landed on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1960s and 1970s, her most prolific time. At least 61 songs landed on the U.K. charts. During the 1960s, King and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, composed more than two dozen songs for a variety of artists. She became a successful solo performer during the 1970s.
Many of those songs have become rock standards, recorded and rerecorded by a variety of artists, songs instantly recognized and hummable. Fortunately, most of the audience on opening night left the singing to the professionals on the Broward Center stage. A handy list of the musical numbers in Beautiful and who wrote them is in program. Don’t even try to keep up as the list isn’t in order.
Beautiful begins with King’s origin story when enthusiastic 16-year-old Brooklynite Carole Klein (Monet Sabel) wants more than anything to write music, although her mother, Genie (Colleen Pagano) wants her to go into a nice, steady profession like teaching. But her mother allows her to go to the Times Square office of producer Don Kirshner (Michael Dean Morgan) where his writers churn out songs for a variety of singers. “It’s like a factory,” Carole says, “only for music.”
To everyone’s surprise, Kirshner likes the teenager’s songs. Soon, Carole falls in love with Gerry Goffin (Milo Alosi) who became her first husband. The two are in love with each other, with love itself and with music—all of which set the path of their songwriting career.
Nick Anastasia and Lindsey Corey and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil
The focus on King and Goffin smoothly moves to show what else was happening music-wise during this time. King and Goffin’s best friends—and competitors—are Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, songwriters who also work out of the same office, turning out hits and who will eventually marry.
Beautiful shows the foursome’s talent, skill and influence on the music scene, as well as how they each maneuver their personal lives in a tough business. Weil and Mann stayed married for 62 years. As Barry says, “We’re good in all the rooms,” while King and Goffin divorced after a decade because he was a serial cheater and his mental health problems.
Beautiful’s first act follows King’s years as a kind of ensemble player—writing songs with Goffin and for other singers. But in the second act, King blossoms, discovering who she is as an artist, embracing her independence and her finding her own voice and attitude. This came full force with her wonderful, ground-breaking album 1971 “Tapestry” that won four Grammy Awards. And when she sings the show-stopper “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” we know she is on her way.
As Carole King, Monet Sabel is a revelation, embracing the singer/songwriter with heart and verve. Monet believably takes on King’s story arc as Sabel nimbly shows her maturation to a superstar who can command an audience on her own. Monet has real chemistry with Milo Alosi who shows Gerry Goffin’s charm and talent and why he and King fell in love. Alosi makes Gerry so appealing that the audience and King are on his side, even when he’s behaving badly.
Lindsey Corey continues to elevate every role she is in as she does as Cynthia Weil, bringing wit, sincerity and fashion style to the role. Corey’s relationship with the thoroughly likable Nick Anastasia as Barry Mann is believable.
One of Kirshner’s talents was matching the appropriate tune with the correct artist, making hit songs and the singers stars. The Righteous Brothers (a too brief appearance), the Drifters and the Shirelles are proof of this.
The high-octane, meticulous moves and vocals by The Drifters and the Shirelles are crowd pleasers. It’s indeed “One Fine Day” with the Shirelles, comprised of actresses Maya Cuevas, Gabrielle Graham, Mikayla Queeley and Lillie Eliza Thomas, who also earns kudos as Janelle Woods. The Drifters take us “Up on the Roof” and over to “On Broadway” with Jermarcus Riggins, Jerel Brown, Logan Green and Jawan Hayes, who is especially outstanding as Lead Drifter.
Michael Dean Morgan is a formidable rock as Kirshner who is both behind-the-scenes and front-and-center in shaping the music scene.
A special note to Aaron Atkinson, who earned his title as a swing, which is an actor/singer who can step into any at a moment’s notice. Due to a last-minute change, Atkinson took on a supporting but pivotal role of Lou Adler with Rick Peña filling in as a Righteous Brother.
Many compliments to Slow Burn’s production staff including Nikolas Serrano, with his effective three-tiered scene design accented by a mosaic of lights; sound by Dan Donato; lighting by Eric Norbury and costume coordinator Rick Peña.
Slow Burn continues to embrace the joy of live music and band led by conductor and music director Gianfranco “Gio” Tio were outstanding. The musicians include Karen Nagy, Julie Jacobs, Chris Vallone, Martin Hand, Frank Capoferri, Rochelle Fredrick, Jyllian Brown, Jason Pyle, Michael Hankins, Pablo Camacho.
Beautiful premiered in 2013 in San Francisco, making it to Broadway the next year, where it earned a Tony Award for Jessie Mueller. Since then, “Beautiful” has become a favorite of regional theaters and is on several Florida schedules this year. It is partially based on King’s 2012 memoir “A Natural Woman,” and, for the most part, is an accurate depiction of King and the time.
But no need to try to find out more about singers Janelle Woods and Marilyn Wald. I already did. Both are fictional characters, representing several singers of the time.
Whatever you do, stay for the curtain call as the cast delivers a rousing “I Feel The Earth Move,” encouraging the audience to join in. Prolong the enjoyment.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical presented by Slow Burn Theatre Co. runs through March 1 at the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale.. Performance times vary. Running time a little over two hours with a 15-minute intermission. Performances scheduled are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20, Feb. 21, Feb. 24, Feb. 25 Feb. 26 Feb. 27 Feb.28; at 1 p.m. Feb, 21and Feb.28’ at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 (open caption performance) and March 1; 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22 and March 1, Tickets $49-$96.75. Call 954-462-0222 or go to www.browardcenter.org or in person at the Broward Center’s Auto Nation Box Office. Info at www.slowburntheatre.org
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