Lyn Cramer has a gift for telling vibrant stories about females who find their voices.
Last summer she directed Broadway Rose Theatre Company’s sumptuous Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the updated fairy tale featuring a heroine with a hankering for social justice. Now Cramer is back at Broadway Rose with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which combines the emotional journey of the legendary singer/songwriter’s life with the colorful appeal of a classic musical comedy.
With a smart book by Douglas McGrath, the 2014 Broadway play focuses on the early years of King’s career. Before she became the first female artist to win four Grammy awards, King was a 16-year-old college student who had already recorded her first song when she met lyricist Gerry Goffin in 1958. Before long they were married, had a daughter, and co-wrote dozens of hits for the producer Don Kirshner and his cadre of recording artists. Among the couple’s successes were “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” for the Shirelles (when Carole was just 17), “Up on the Roof” for the Drifters, and “Natural Woman” for Aretha Franklin.
At Broadway Rose’s July 19 opening night show, it was a pleasure to hear Merideth Kaye Clark, who stars as Carole, sing. Wisely, Clark embraces her own powerful voice, which hints at King’s unique sound without going for a full-on impersonation that might have reduced her moving portrayal to a caricature. Instead, Clark creates a nuanced character whose believable metamorphosis takes Carole from a plucky musical prodigy in a plaid skirt to a triumphant solo artist who conquered her terror of performing in public.
McGrath, who also adapted Jane Austen’s Emma for his 1996 film, injected Beautiful with some crisp comic bits, which lighten up a story that has its share of heartbreak. The humor mostly comes from supporting characters such as Carole’s school friend Betty (Sydney Valaer), who takes biology class with Gerry (Benjamin Tissell) and says he’s so flirtatious even her frog has a crush on him.
Even wittier is the banter between Carole and Gerry’s fierce but friendly competitors, the real-life songwriting team of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann (gleefully played by Jennifer Lynn Teel and Norman Wilson). Cynthia, in particular, delights with her ready quips. “You have a husband?” she asks Carole. “You don’t look old enough to have a bike.”
Bryan Boyd’s two-story set design also provides a striking visual display of the dueling songwriters. In a compelling late-night scene where Kirshner (Joey Klei) has challenged each couple to write the best song for the Shirelles, Cynthia and Barry eagerly work in their upper-level cubicle while Carole, below in her Brooklyn apartment, is trying to comfort her crying baby because a restless Gerry has gone missing.
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The costumes, designed by Allison Dawe, further emphasize the difference between the two women. While Cynthia looks savvy in fashionably form-fitting dresses, Carole wears drab pants and cardigans that suggest she’s a beleaguered teen mother who doesn’t have a moment to spare on her appearance. Or maybe her clothes say something about her independent spirit. Young Carole may not have Cynthia’s sophistication, but she has professional confidence aplenty and doesn’t need stylish clothes to prove her worth as a musician.
Elsewhere in Beautiful, the costumes add dazzle. As the writers come up with new songs, the revolving stage floor turns and performance-ready recording artists appear. For “Some Kind of Wonderful,” the Drifters (led by Richaun Stewart) are magical in silver suits with a sheen that’s as smooth as their finger-snapping, toe-dragging moves. Likewise, the elegant Shirelles are dressed in dreamy one-shoulder coral gowns with matching heels.
Considering that the script calls for Gerry to have a mental collapse, Beautiful could have been a downer. But the show, which is never trite, also never dwells in darkness for too long to be enjoyable. Besides the witty script, this pleasing balance is largely thanks to the bright cast, combined with great songs accompanied by a live orchestra (led by Billy Thompson), and Rosharra Francis’ upbeat choreography. Yes, we feel Carole and Gerry’s pain, but we’re also treated to the sight of Little Eva (Bree Boswell) performing a full-steam-ahead rendition of “The Locomotion,” with the ensemble pumping their fists and chugging like a train across the stage.
It’s Carole’s transformation, though, that ultimately makes the play so uplifting. Once she’s free of her unhappy marriage, she looks cool and confident in boots and flared jeans. She’s also grown her conservative hairdo into her signature long curls, which she tosses as she cuts loose at the piano and sings the life-affirming “Beautiful”—the perfect song for a musician who’s now completely at home both on stage and in her own skin.
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Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is onstage through August 18 at the Deb Fennell Auditorium, 9000 S.W. Durham Road, Tigard. Tickets: 503-620-5262 or online at www.broadwayrose.org.
