As presented by her nationwide touring company at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Friday, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” is, well, beautiful — a thoroughly enjoyable and superbly performed account of King’s, two-time Rock and Roll Hall inductee of Fame. story.
Carried by a terrific and compelling performance from Sara Sheperd as King, who not only sings but plays the piano, the musical opens with 16-year-old Carole Klein leaving her Brooklyn home to try and sell a song at the music editor Don Kirscher, who then introduces King (his “composer name”) to Gerry Goffin (played by a very good James D. Gish), who became his lyricist, the father of his daughter and her husband — in this order.
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He’s also hosting a friendly competition with Broadway’s other songwriting pair — Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil — to see who might have the longest and oldest No. 1 hits.
This allows the show to present their music in context rather than as subtext, akin to the musical jukebox. So there are cleverly costumed and choreographed musical cameos from The Drifters and The Shirelles, The Righteous Brothers and “One Fine Day” singer Janelle Woods.
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And, of course, there’s the famous story of how Goffin and King turned their babysitter Little Eva into a star with “The Locomotion,” which got a delivery hosted by Jamary A. Gil in one. of the greatest productions of the musical. Numbers.
Fortunately, the arrangements of the early ’60s hits – and later songs from King’s 1971 solo album ‘Tapestry’ don’t drive the Broadway numbers too high, making them feel as ‘real’ as possible in a musical presentation.
Songs from “Tapestry,” which drew instant applause from the audience, make up much of the musical’s second act, which explores, with some drama, Goffin’s mental breakdown, the breakdown of the Goffin- King and King’s move to California, where she recorded the classic album.
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This, perhaps, seems dry and heavy. But “Beautiful” is funny throughout, with Ryan Farnsworth contributing plenty of laughs — and a rock rendition of “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” — as the hypochondriac Mann.
“Beautiful” was originally meant to be part of Lied’s 2020 series, but it was a pandemic postponement. Suffice it to say, Friday’s superb performance proved the wait was worth it.
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” will return to the Lied Stage for two performances on Saturday and one show on Sunday afternoon.
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Lincoln’s Most Requested Musical Acts
green day
Bridging the gap between punk rock and pop, Green Day has been around since 1986 before making a splash with “Dookie” in 1994. Since then, they’ve released eight albums and a number of chart-topping singles. Unfortunately, the band chose Omaha for a gig in 2017.
Amy Harris
Bruce Springsteen
Although he may be synonymous with New Jersey, Lincoln residents have overwhelmingly called on the boss, Bruce Springsteen, to come to the Capitol. A wide variety of chart-topping songs and classic albums make it easy to see why, as well as an album called “Nebraska.”
Charles Sykes
foo fighters
Since their formation following the breakup of Nirvana in 1994, the Foo Fighters have been one of the most popular rock bands. coherent modern acts. They also made a big impression on Lincoln listeners and were our most requested band.
Barry Brecheisen
Adele
A record-breaking recording act, Adele sold out shows and became one of the best-selling artists of the past decade thanks to her second album, ’21’. She’s more or less been touring since then, only stopping briefly to record the equally successful sequel, “25.”
Chris Pizzello
imagine Dragons
After a slew of songs from the band’s debut album “Night Visions” made Imagine Dragons a household name, the band has been touring almost constantly.
John Salangsang
Jack White
While Jack White may have started his musical career in a garage in Detroit with his ex-wife as part of the White Stripes, he became one of the biggest names in music through bluesy guitar solos, garage-rock anthems and collaborations with some of the biggest names in music, new and old.
Katie Darby
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is a far cry from her early days as a niche country singer-songwriter. In just a few short years, they have become one of today’s most important and recognizable musical groups. His will to experimenting and not being tied to one genre or style has led her to be the favorite of several generations of fans.
John Shearer
prick
After leaving The Police in 1981, Sting began to find solo success late in the decade, eventually eclipsing his early hits with songs like “All this time” and “We will be together”.
Charles Sykes
cold game
The British pop-rock group Coldplay has been requested on several occasions. The group is best known for the songs “Yellow” and “Viva la Vida”. Unfortunately, the band aren’t planning a tour anytime soon.
Michael Zorn
Ellie Goulding
Critic darling Ellie Goulding quickly rose up the UK pop charts when she burst onto the scene in 2009. Since then she’s toured with U2, collaborated with Skrillex and had music on the Fifty Shades of Gray soundtrack.
Thibaut Camus
a republic
One of many bands to find early popularity on MySpace, OneRepublic has released three albums and has been touring almost constantly since 2008.
Andre Estey
U2
What started as an experiment in mixing classic rock with the then popular sound of electronica and punk rock eventually grew into one of the biggest bands around, U2. Nearly 40 years and 13 albums after its formation, the band are still making headlines and playing to packed houses on some of the biggest stages on the planet.
Markus Schreiber
Sarah McLachlan
As well known for her work with the ASPCA as for her career as a singer-songwriter, Sarah McLachlan continues strong after more than 20 years.
Owen Sweeney
Tori Amos
Backed by near-constant reading on MTV, the singer-songwriter Tori Amos caused a stir with ballads promoting feminism and empowerment and attacking political and religious institutions.
Marc Humphrey
Pink
She already played Lincoln twice, but pop-provocative Pink is always a draw.
Chris Pizzello
Killer
One of the most controversial metal bands, Slayer still plays anti-establishment anthems the same way they have since 1981. Slayer came to Omaha on November 18.
Owen Sweeney
Contact the writer at 402-473-7244 or [email protected] On Twitter @KentWolgamott