Beef & Boards continues its very tuneful 2024 season with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, a bio-jukebox stroll down musical memory lane for folks of my generation or anyone who is a fan of the great music of the 60s and 70s.
With a book by Douglas McGrath and words and music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Beautiful tells the story of Ms. King’s rise in the very competitive music business from a talented 16-year-old in the late 50s to an accomplished solo artist in the early 70s. With Goffin, King wrote such immortal hits as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Up on the Roof,” “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “The Locomotion,” and a hundred more.
B&B debuter Devon Perry stars as Ms. King and is an absolute stunner as the gifted songwriter. Bringing her experience as King from a previous production, Ms. Perry fills the role with impressive talents in acting, singing, and playing piano. The resulting portrayal is of a sweet, mega-talented, and empathy-worthy young woman, conquering an art form dominated by males with an unassuming grace.
Ms. Perry is coupled with Elliott Litherland as King’s lyricist/husband, Gerry Goffin. Litherland’s full-on approach to the flawed genius of the high-strung man lands effectively and especially shows his fine capacity for acting.
Gerry Goffin (Elliott Litherland) smiles at his fiancée Carole King (Devon Perry) as she plays “Some Kind of Wonderful” on the piano in Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, now on stage through March 30. Tickets include Chef Larry Stoops’ buffet and select beverages. Visit BeefAndBoards.com for pricing and availability, or call the box office at (317) 872-9664. (Photo by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com)
Devan Mathias hits the stage running in her energetic portrayal of fellow lyricist Cynthia Weil (who with Barry Mann wrote “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “On Broadway,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” and many more). Ms. Mathias exudes moxie as the self-assured Weil and brings her strong singing talents to the fore. Matched up with Kyle Southern as Barry Mann, the duo provides many light moments and a great rendering of Mann/Weil compositions. Southern is perfect playing the hypochondriacal Mann and has most of the show’s laugh lines. Don Farrell fills the bill nicely as recording executive Don Kirshner.
As the storyline brings out the array of songs these two couples create, we see performances by Neil Sedaka, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Little Eva, and The Righteous Brothers – all set forth in shining turns by the tremendous ensemble which has been assembled for this show. Many members of this group have had leading and featured roles in past B&B productions, and thus the talent level is high and quite impressive.
Director Heather Patterson King and Musical Director Terry Woods have done a remarkable job bringing this hit-filled show to the B&B stage. Every aspect of the staging and the performances is given sharp attention – even the many set changes are done with ease and quickness. Choreographer Kenney Green-Tilford has arranged a great variety of combinations for the “historic” portrayals of 60s and 70s singing groups.
Finally, the efficient set design by Michael Jackson and the costume work by Dustin Cross and Kathy Henry all add to the picture of a time gone by.
Bottom line: If you are a fan of Carole King, or of the history of American popular music, or of just great music, this is a must-see show. The strong story of Ms. King’s conquests and troubles, coupled with the Goffin/King – Mann/Weil catalogues of songs, makes for a memorable evening (or afternoon) of musical theatre. Oh, and the buffet is outstanding as well!
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical continues at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre through March 30. Show times and reservation availablity can be viewed at BeefAndBoards.com or by calling the box office at (317) 872-9664.
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