The Cumberland County Playhouse offers a unique variety of ’60s music hits and an educational opportunity for audiences with its current production of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” playing in the Mainstage Theater.
The jukebox musical production is co-directed by Bryce McDonald and DeAnna Helgeson and stars Heather McCall as Carole King, Caleb Sager as Carole King’s husband and early musical partner, Gerry Goffin; Liv Pelton as lyricist Cynthia Weil; Riley Wesson as Barry Mann, Cynthia’s musical partner and love interest; Britt Hancock as Don Kirshner; and Weslie Webster as Genie Klein, Carole’s mother.
The ultra-talented McCall even plays the majority of King’s songs on the piano during her role as King.
Simply put, the production of “Beautiful” is another jewel in the crown of Cumberland County Playhouse productions.
“Carole King music is the reason I wanted to be a songwriter when I was little. She’s the reason I would hide in my closet and write countless songs instead of doing my homework and the reason I fell in love with chord progressions and understood note patterns were evokers of emotion,” McCall posted on social media.
“‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ has been a dream of mine since I saw it by myself while living in New York City. I was lonely and struggling and saw the musical and knew that I was meant to stick it out and do musical theater …” she added.
“The fact that this dream is now a reality and not so far away has not quite hit me yet, but getting to do this show with my CCP family is more than some kind of wonderful.”
This is McCall’s sixth season at CCP.
Not only is the music a toe-tapping, hand-clapping dose of the musical hits of the ’60s, the presentation and performances of the songs and acting are top notch.
The show presents a candid look of young Carole King, an aspiring songwriter who goes to New York City and sells a song, “It might as well rain until September.” Shortly after, she meets and falls in love with Gerry Goffin while at Queens College. The two form a songwriting collaboration who are offered an office at the production company with Kirschner, who creates some of the decade’s biggest hits for other recording artists including “Some Kind of Wonderful” recorded by The Drifters, “Take Good Care of My Baby” recorded by Bobby Vee, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” recorded by The Shirelles, and “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” recorded by The Monkees.
They meet Barry Mann, who is a composer looking for a lyricist, when Weil comes in looking for a composer.
The two couples become fierce competitors and dear friends who often compete to write songs for the same artists. The show also shares some of the top hits written by Mann and Weil including “He’s Sure the Boy I Love,” “On Broadway,” “Walking in the Rain,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” and “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.”
There are several more ’60s songs by other artists as well.
The educational part is most people don’t realize just how many songs King and her husband Goffin wrote for other artists that became huge hits, shaping the sound of pop music in the ’60s. Most people assume King became a music sensation with the release of her first solo album, “Tapestry.” Which is where Beautiful ends, with King playing Carnegie Hall in NYC.
CCP’s production gives the audience a closeup look of painful moments in King’s life such as her husband openly cheating on her, their divorce and her triumph of singing her own songs, moving to Los Angeles and recording “Tapestry” with the support of her friends Mann, Weil and Kirshner, who set her up with Lou Adler, the producer of King’s “Tapestry.”
The show offers tight scene changes, accurate costumes and wig appearances of the time and the set and props are artistically magical.
The set, scenery and lighting transform you to the 1960s. It’s quite apparent the production crew put much thought, time, energy and effort into making this production look as accurate to the era as possible.
The creativity and talents of the production crew, costume shop, sound and lighting departments of CCP never cease to amaze me. Choreography for the dance scenes was done by Jensen Crain-Foster, which was quite a feat considering the variety of scenes and different groups that performed. She hails from Crossville and has been a part of CCP in various roles since her childhood. Crain-Foster was also one of the wig designers for the show. The wigs were convincing of the ’60s pop culture.
Aside from McCall, performers who were standouts included Pelton, a first-year CCP actor, who has a powerful voice with a range that would make any Broadway performer envious. She is a perfect fit for the role of Weil. Earlier this season she played Sandy in CCP’s production of Grease.
Wesson gives a great vocal performance and is a natural, believable fit as Mann.
Sager gives a memorable performance as Goffin, who struggles with anxiety and desires for more than Carole and their family life in the suburbs.
Hancock, a veteran CCP actor and director, also serves as artistic director, gives a memorable performance as music producer Kirshner, The Man With the Golden Ear. His hesitations, quick wit and excitement with the perfect timing and facial expressions are more than convincing.
Webster, another veteran CCP performer and educator, gives a convincing performance as King’s mother. The scene when King is telling her mother about leaving her husband is a tender, heart-warming moment in the show. It’s a moment of more than just acting.
Webster and McCall have a genuine chemistry in this brief scene that just make your heart melt. Webster gives her daughter the support she needs without an “I told you so” and the confidence to move forward.
The entire ensemble is filled with captivating performers and scenes.
The combination of all the talent CCP has to offer blends together in a perfect combination, making “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” a show that will likely become one of CCP’s top, noteable productions.
If you love ’60s music, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” is a must-see production at CCP. In all, 27 songs are performed during the production.
Words and music for the production are by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Book by Douglas McGrath; music by arrangement with Sony Music Publishing.
The show is rated PG-13 for a couple of adult situations and runs until Oct. 27.
Visit ccplayhouse.com or call 931-484-5000 for more information about the show or to purchase tickets.