By Jody Tuso-Key, Managing Editor

Lawrenceville- Sometimes a beautiful song can weave through the tapestry of your life. Think back to the first time the you heard a Carole King song. It might be earlier than you realize. My first Carole King tune I absolutely loved came out when I was six years old, and was called “You’ve got a Friend”. It was the first pop song I learned on the piano and the first song we learned in chorus starting in 6th grade at George Washington Carver Elmentary school. I had a great group of girlfriends in Milledgeville in the ‘70s, and we all loved to sing it to each other. It became an anthem, and held a philosophy by which I still love and live.

Now I have an amazing group of friends at the Aurora Theatre. 2023 marks the fifth year of Speakeysie, and it all began with an introduction by my dear friend Haden Rider to Ann-Carol Pence. Aurora has not only been a wonderful partnership, but every time I’m there I feel like I’m home. This year‘s opener for Aurora’s 24th season opens with BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, and what a beautiful musical it is! Of course, the Aurora, with its wonderful Strickland stage, is the closest thing to Broadway in at the Atlanta area boasting live orchestration, and a leading lady that tickles the ivories with style and flair. It’s easy to believe that this quadruple threat is actually Carole King.

I heard from others who saw the Broadway version of BEAUTIFUL that this was a really good show. It had a successful run on Broaway beginning in 2014, played on the West End in London, and has had a long-spanning touring run. It was just recently made available for licensing, and can finally be seen in regional theaters such as Aurora. I’d not seen it, and even though I love her music, I couldn’t see how Carole King’s repertoire could be made into a full length Broadway show, even though her album, “Tapestry” has been hailed as one of Rolling Stone’s top 500 albums of all time and held the record for most weeks at #1 by a female artist for 20 years. Boy was I wrong!! I didn’t realize that King was once part of a duo that wrote for the legendary record producer Don Kirshner’s Dimension Records and wrote some of the most well known hits of the 1960s.

The show begins with Carole in a beautiful floor length dress (we would have called it a maxi in the ‘70s) playing at Carnegie Hall, opening the story of her life and a segue to Carole‘s playwright mom, playing piano while smoking a cigarette and drinking wine, classic ‘60s style. A 16 year-old Carole bounces in the door, comandeers the piano to play a catchy tune she’s written and announces she’s going to go audition the song for a Don Kirshner, probably one of the most celebrated record producers in history. The plucky young thing shows up to Kirshner’s office without an appointment and wins him over.

Carole is super smart, having skipped two grades, and attends Queens College. Here she meets her future husband and lyricist, Gerry Goffin. They embark on a career in Don Kirshner’s offices, writing hit songs including “Some Kind of Wonderful” for the Drifters, “Take Good Care of my Baby” for Bobby Vee, and “Will you Still Love me Tomorrow” for the Shirelles. In the office next door, Carrol and Gerry befriend Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The couples become friendly rival songwriters, and Mann and Weil compile a string of hits as well. It’s not surprising that the woman responsible for “You’ve got a Friend” showcases her friendship with Kirshner, Mann, and Weil as an important part of the central action.

Once again, Aurora has outdone themselves with this amazing musical.They’ve brought back the incomparable David Rosetti, director and choreographer of last year’s MARY POPPINS, to direct and choreograph once again. The set design by Julie Ray gives the show the appropriate concert feel, with the orchestra sitting above upstage on high lofts adorned with lighted pillars.. The vintage set pieces and props are at times danced onto stage by the cast, adding great continuity, and each transition is quick and seamless. The set also boasts a rotating stage, a glorious Steinway concert grand piano donated by Claude and Sandra Strickland, 3 spinet pianos, a synthesizer, and an electric guitar. The ensemble plays different famous musicians, showcasing the songs, written by Carrol and her friends., all expertly lit by lighting designer Kevin Frazier. Many of them also play instruments. Ann Carole Pence once again assembles a live orchestra that never seems to hit any wrong notes. It was a delight seeing her up high in the center loft having a great time wearing her trademark smile, playing piano, and bouncing along to the music.

I don’t think I’ve ever said this before in 5 years of reviewing shows for Speakeysie, but every performer in this show delivers a Key-noteworthy performance! The ensemble plays a plethora of parts including famous acts of the past: The Shirelle’s, The Drifters, Franki Valley and the Four Seasons, Little Eva, Aretha Franklin, The Righteous Brothers, and more. The vocals are all superb and the choreography is fun to watch.

Bethany Irby plays Carole. Aside from the Aurora stage, Bethany is a busy homeschool mom of 3 young kids and has directed and music directed several shows including Matilda and Drowsy Chaperone (Lyric Theatre) and several high school productions. I last saw her in Billy Elliot at City Springs, and I’m glad she was able to fit this show into her busy schedule. She is a wizard on the piano and, at the risk of sounding trite, has a BEAUTIFUL voice. The emotion she brings to her character adds an authentic relatability.

Chloe Cordele is back on the Aurora stage as Carole’s friend and rival songwriter, Cynthia Weil. She’s always a delight to see on stage and this role highlights her comedic abilities. Together with John Hacker as Cynthia’s writing and romantic partner, Barry Mann, the jokes all land. I hadn’t expected the show to have so many humorous moments, but these two along with Cory Phelps as Don Kirshner and Jennifer Pagnard as Genie Klein (Carole’s mom) added moments of laughter throughout the show.

My final thoughts about BEAUTIFUL: this is not your run of the mill concert show. I’ve watched my share of them in the past couple of years, and I love the biographical aspects of performers lives woven with the golden thread of the songs that made them famous. This one stands above the others because Carole King had a servant’s heart. She didn’t set out to perform the songs she wrote, but shared her talent with others. It wasn’t until later in her career that she began to perform the songs she wrote. Watching old footage of her to research for this article, she wasn’t a showy performer. She would modestly play the piano and sing, not playing out to the cameras like every performer is expected to do in this day and age. Even so, I found myself binge watching her performances, which felt like living room concerts, and really enjoying them. The Aurora’s cast and crew has done an excellent job of paying tribute to this amazing lady. 

BEAUTIFUL is a Speakeysie MUST SEE and runs until September 17th. Get your tickets and go see this wonderful show at https://www.auroratheatre.com/.