Music would just not be the same without Carole King.
One of the great American songwriters, King’s amazing life has been transformed into the award-winning Broadway show “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.” Fans will be able to check it out at the Kimmel Cultural Campus Academy of Music Feb. 22-27.
“I’ve had an amazing life,” King told CBS’s Gayle King in 2019. “Absolutely amazing!”
King grew up in Brooklyn and had to fight her way into the music business. Along with husband Gerry Goffin, King wrote some of the most popular songs of the 1970s. “Beautiful” tells the story of her rise to stardom, troubles when her marriage to Goffin broke up and her re-emergence of a solo artist with an amazing voice.
Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Beautiful features a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, including “I Feel The Earth Move,” “One Fine Day,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “You’ve Got A Friend” and the title song, “Beautiful.”
“Following this unprecedented intermission from live theater, we are thrilled that Beautiful will be back on the road to bring joy and music once again to audiences across North America for the sixth touring season,” producer Paul Blake said. “We are humbled that over five million audience members worldwide have been entertained by our celebration of Carole’s story and her timeless music.”
A musical that might not have even happened if it was up to King.
“I didn’t want this show to happen in the first place,” King said in the CBS interview. “I’m wearing sunglasses. I take off my backpack. I sit in the back like this, with my arms around my backpack, my coat kind of half-on, half off.”
The second act of the show was just too painful for King to watch. The breakup with Goffin was still too painful. Eventually she relented, but left at intermission, according to the earlier interview.
For music fans, it’s a good thing the show goes on.
“Theater fans and music aficionados are familiar with Carole King’s incredible music and industry prominence, still recognizable across generations today as an icon,” said Matias Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc. “Fans of King’s can recreate their ‘Beautiful’ experience across our 2021-22 season, with ‘The Simon and Garfunkel Story,’ ‘A Tribute to Aretha Franklin,’ and more.”
With a book by Tony and Academy Award nominee Douglas McGrath, direction by Marc Bruni and choreography by Josh Prince, “Beautiful” features a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil.
The Broadway production of “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical” ended its smash-hit, record-breaking run after nearly six years on Oct. 27, 2019. By the time the production took its final bow, it played 60 preview and 2,418 regular performances, surpassing the original production of Annie and the landmark 1998 revival of Cabaret to become the 27th longest-running musical (and the second longest running “bio-musical”) in Broadway history. On Broadway, the show was seen by almost 2,200,000 audience members (including, quite famously, King herself) and is the longest-running and highest-grossing show in the history of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
Sony Pictures has announced that the film adaptation of Beautiful will be produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Paul Blake.
“Beautiful – The Carole King Musical” is part of the Kimmel Cultural Campus’ 2021-22 Broadway season, co-presented by The Shubert Organization. This season also includes, “Hadestown,” “The Carole King Musical,” “Oklahoma!,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” with additional add-ons “RENT,” “Waitress,” “Hairspray!” and “Freestyle Love Supreme.” For information on the full season lineup, dates, and venues, visit KimmelCulturalCampus.org.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. In-person ticket sales can be conducted daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street.
