You just call out my name,
and you know, wherever I am,
I’ll come runnin’
to see you again.
Last year I saw Beautiful – The Carole King Musical for the first time and such was the enjoyment on that occasion, I had no hesitation in seeing the regional premier of the show by an amateur company. I say amateur for formality only, for this showing from West Bromwich Operatic Society (WBOS) was anything but amateur. I also must praise the choice of venue. I Know WBOS have filled larger theatres than The Mill but while I criticised another local company recently for playing to a half-full New Alexandar, this was exactly right for half a dozen performances of Beautiful.
Beautiful tells the story of songwriter/singer, Carole King from the origins of a partnership with husband Gerry Goffin to an even greater (in my opinion) solo career in the 70s and beyond. Writing songs for giants of music such as The Drifters, The Shirelles and Little Eva, King is best known for the 1971 solo release, Tapestry. Mixed in the tale, there is an interesting subplot featuring the friendly rivalry with fellow songwriters, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.
In the lead role we had a phenomenal performance from Kim Graystone, and I cannot stress enough the workload this part entails. Okay, not in every scene but near enough and with a vocal outing to rival the professionals twelve months ago. Supporting well, though, we had Dan Smith (Gerry Goffin), Emma Wetherall (Cynthia Weil), Callum Rogers (Barry Mann) and Greg Yates (Donny Kirschner). Beautiful also boasted a large company who are too many to mention but were all the highest quality.
And the songs themselves would make a great hits compilation including, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Take Good Care of My Baby, On Broadway, We Gotta Get Out of This Place and The Locomotion. All from the catalogue of King/Goffin/Weil/Mann. And in the Tapestry era we had You’ve Got a Friend, It’s Too Late, I Feel the Earth Move, (You Make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and the title of the show itself, Beautiful.
This was an excellent show and those in the thick of things in terms of production can be immensely proud of their cast and crew. Directing Beautiful was Simon Pugh with choreography by Claire Flavell and musical direction from Matthew Hall.
WBOS return May 2024 at The Wolverhampton Grand with Love Never Dies. Well worth a look.
Cheers
Antony N Britt
*Images blatantly taken from social media.
Antony N Britt - Author 