‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ is a real triumph at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read

At first glance, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” looks like just another jukebox musical that also happens to be an ideal fit for Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, which just wrapped a months-long run of “Jersey Boys.”

And while it is indeed a perfect show for CDT, which also hosts weekly tribute bands heavy on boomer favorites in its Fireside Theatre, the company’s new production of “Beautiful” is much more thoughtful and emotional than one might expect and offers deeper insights than typically found in the often paper-thin genre.

The story follows one Carol Joan Klein, an awkward yet gifted young woman looking to break into show business, as she grows into Carole King, the successful songwriter and ultimately even more successful performer. Indeed, King is the woman behind 1971’s “Tapestry,” a four-time Grammy winner that stands among the biggest-selling and most-loved albums of all time.

But the King (Monet Sabel) that gave the world “Tapestry” only bookends the show, which keeps its focus on her rise to power alongside her then-husband and co-writer Gerry Goffin (Shad Hanley) and another pair of musical scribes, Barry Mann (Alan Bach) and Cynthia Weil (Shinah Hey).

At the tender age of 16, King convinces her mother Genie (Kim Kivens) to allow her to visit a neighbor of the famed Brill Building and attempt to sell one of her songs to music publisher Donnie Kirshner (Michael Gruber). She succeeds and ends up on the payroll with Goffin providing the lyrics to her melodies, while developing a friendly rivalry with Mann and Weil on the side.

In the days before the Beatles and Bob Dylan revolutionized the music industry by writing their own material, the Brill Building and its peers served as hit-making factories that pumped out catchy, if sometimes vapid, songs aimed squarely at record-buying teens. The songwriting duos wrote for maximum commercial, rather than artistic, impact.

“Beautiful” packs in some 30 songs — from Goffin/King and Mann/Weil as well as their contemporaries – which keeps toes tapping and the momentum spinning forward. (And unlike many other musicals, it doesn’t overstay its welcome with a needlessly padded second act.)

While King and Goffin marry early after her unexpected pregnancy, the cool Weil and neurotic Mann take a much more measured approach to balancing work and romance. For the first time, CDT artistic director Michael Brindisi shares directing duties with his daughter Cat, and the pair’s familial bond clearly informs the storyline as it examines the intersections between love, work and family.

Sabel spent years as the King understudy in the “Beautiful” national tour and truly excels now that she’s finally up front. She finds the true humanity in King and does the perfect job of channeling, but not blindly replicating, her unique talent and spirit. Hey is even better as Weil, lighting up every scene she’s in while suggesting she’s the wisest person on stage (as Weil likely was in real life).

Bach manages to gets some laughs from Mann’s quirks without lapsing into parody and Hanley does a fine job of portraying Goffin’s descent into substance abuse, infidelity and artistic torment. One of the finest moments in the show is the rendition of the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday” that exposes the conflicts between King’s desire for the suburban life and Goffin’s fear of songwriting musicians and the more sophisticated work of Mann/Weil, whose “On Broadway” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” tower over Goffin/King’s “One Fine Day” and “The Locomotion.”

A real triumph of a production, CDT’s “Beautiful” will make the earth move under your feet.

‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’

  • When: Through Sept. 28

  • Where: Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, 501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen

  • Tickets: $105-$75 via 952-934-1525 or chanhassendt.com

  • Capsule: “Beautiful” is far more than your typical jukebox musical.

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