Singing stands out most in superb ‘Carole King’
“Beautiful” is some kind of wonderful.
The Carole King musical boasts terrific songs, excellent acting, fluid direction and slick design.
Still, the success of the top-notch jukebox musical stems largely from the way the songs emerge naturally within Douglas McGrath’s book.
King’s maturation, from a hopeful Brooklyn teenager in 1958 to a full- fledged singer- songwriter in 1971, generates inspiring drama and rueful comedy. Deft dialogue helps lift the show- biz bio above most cliches of its genre.
At the opening Tuesday in the Ohio Theatre, Julia Knitel was endearing and inspiring as King.
Led by Knitel, a quartet of wellmatched performers brings to life the intertwined careers, relationships and rlvalries of King and Gerry Goffin and another songwriting couple, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.
Liam Tobin avoids caricature while revealing the psychological struggles and flaws of Goffin, King’s songwriting partner and wandering husband.
Erika Olson fuses droll intelligence with wary wit as Weil, and Ben Fankhauser matches her in deadpan understatement as anxious Mann.
James Clow revels in the old- pro cynical veneer and humor of kindly producer Don Kirshner.
But the show is primarily King’s coming-of-age saga, and Knitel capably charts her journey from girlish naivete to radiant maturity.
The singing is excellent.
Woven into the show’s seamless tapestry are such talents as Little Eva ( Rosharra Francis, energetically leading “The Locomotion”), the Righteous Brothers (Andrew Brewer and Jacob Heimer crooning “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”) and the Shirelles ( Erin Clemons, Traci Elaine Lee, Ximone Rose and Francis evoking the velvety 1960s- girlgroup elegance of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.”)
Knitel’s shimmering vocals make memorable “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
Theatergoers should linger after the curtain call to hear Knitel lead the audience in a rapturous “I Feel the Earth Move.”