Countless Classics & A Gorgeous Story In Sydney Production of ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Story’

The community musical and theatre group MustSee Shows based in East Sydney is proud to bring Tony and Grammy Award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical to the stage after the success of their first production Legally Blonde last year.

Kathy Petrakis, the founder of MustSee theatre group and director of this new Carole King musical, explained that certain criteria had to be met when deciding which show would be staged next. It was decided upon a show with plenty of female roles and a production which would attract audiences – Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ticked all the boxes.

“This musical has a strong book as it tells the story of Carole King’s remarkable achievements. And of course, there are lots of musical numbers representing the songwriting strength of Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. And what’s a musical without wonderful dancing!”

There are 27 performers and a seven-piece live band on stage. The role of Carole King will be played by Rachel Bendeich and Rachel Thomas, two highly accomplished actresses and performers.

“Carole King is a challenging role to perform. The actresses needed to play a woman from age 16 to 31 and show growth and change over time. So apart from singing well, there were maturity and acting skills required, both in the scenes and in the song performances. Furthermore, as we were double-casting the role, we needed two women who could do all that – we were very lucky to find these two talented women!”

The mood of the musical is warm, intimate and triumphant. Petrakis said audiences will be taken on a journey which details Carole King’s life and career through uplifting music.

“The musical covers a span of around 13 years, beginning in 1958 and culminating in 1971. The narrative outline’s King’s journey from a 16-year-old Carole Klein then follows her time with songwriting partner and subsequent husband Gerry Goffin, throughout their explosive hit making decade in the 60s, and finally her triumphant performance at Carnegie Hall NYC which coincided with the release of her multi-Grammy-winning classic album ‘Tapestry’.”

She explained there were several critical scenes which were difficult to direct owing to the emotional intensity required from the actors – emotional moments which required complete authenticity.

“There’s a scene when Carole’s husband Gerry Goffin confesses he wants to be with someone else which ends with her singing ‘One Fine Day’, or the moment she tells him she’s had enough and audiences are torn between her hurt and her bravery – bringing these emotions out in the actors is what it’s all about!”

Audiences can expect to hear all of Carole King’s hits, such as Will You Love Me Tomorrow, You’ve Got A Friend, So Far Away, You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, Take Good care Of My baby and toe-tapping songs which she wrote including The Locomotion and I Feel The Earth Move.

“The music of Carole King still entrances audiences worldwide today because the songs she wrote reflected her personal experiences that speak to audiences. They are filled with emotional ‘hooks’ that bring the heartfelt, emotional lyrics to life that people today can still relate to. Her songs inspired not just generations of music lovers, but also legendary artists like Aretha Franklin who turned “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” into an enduring classic,” enthused Petrakis.

It’s a coup for this amateur community theatre organization to have acquired the prestigious Darling Quarter Theatre to stage their second musical.

“It will help lift our production to a more professional level, and importantly, provide our cast the fantastic opportunity to experience performing in a state-of-the-art venue primarily used for professional shows.”

When asked what audience this musical should appeal to and whether it’s a prerequisite to be familiar with Carole King’s music for optimum enjoyment Petrakis was quick to respond.

“The musical has broad appeal with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Some of the younger audiences may not know Carole King or her contribution to music but they can still enjoy a good story with amazing music, performances and choreography! It’s an absolute feel-good musical that should have audiences enjoying the timeless, classic songs that are still familiar and loved six decades later.”

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is on 25 – 28 June and 2 – 5 July at Darling Quarter Theatre.