"Beautiful" should Not Be Missed!

 

Jason Kappus and Sarah Rose Davis in Beautiful (Auston James)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Village Theatre (www.villagetheatre.org)
Issaquah: Through December 23, 2023
Everett: January 6 to January 28, 2024
 
I will absolutely rave about the perfection of Sarah Rose Davis as Carole King and the rest of the cast, in a minute. I promise! But OMG the SET! The set and the lights and projections!!! I’m so in love with Grace Laubacher, set designer, Robert J. Aguilar, lighting designer, and Ahren Buhmann, projection designer, right now.
 
You see, I have a “thing” about sets and set changes – so often there’s too much set, sometimes for no reason, and usually set changes just take time and are noticeable, and often also changed for no reason. This set was a thing of beauty because it changes in a Split Second!
 
That’s important because there are So. Many. Set. Changes. And it’s beautiful or useful. Also, the lighting here comes from the back to light up parts of the set, and the projection changes locations and I don’t know how they do that thing where when the set is moving you can see behind it, but when it stops, it’s a new location that is not see-through! Magic!
 
While I’m talking tech, the costumes by Melanie Taylor Burgess were absolutely spot on and there were Tons of them! Very 1960s and you could see the years change by the costumes in the scenes. There isn’t a credit for wigs, but there were Tons of those, too, also absolutely telling the story through their wearings. I’ll presume that Melanie coordinated/made those, too, and they hit every note.
 
OK. So.
 
Beautiful tells the story of the very early years of Carole King’s life, starting when she is 16 and already devoted to getting into the song-writing business. Douglas McGrath’s book (words spoken not sung) is funny and encompasses all the changes in Carole’s life with swift scenes that move the story along in a very satisfying way. All of the songs that are sung in the musical are either by Carole and her husband Gerry Goffin, or their friends and competitors in song-writing, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. You are likely to know many of them, since they wrote so many classics.
 
The show opens with Carole, played by the sublime Sarah Rose Davis, at a pinnacle of her success when she plays a concert at Carnegie Hall. She has achieved a massive success with her now classic perfect album, Tapestry.
 
Then we go back in time to meet the 16 year old Carole as she meets cute with her soon-to-be husband Gerry Goffin (Jason Kappus, who manages both the good times charmer and the struggles he had with a pathos that keeps us liking him).
 
Carole bargains with her mother (a super role for “Mama” Angela DiMarco) and talks her way into selling songs to Don Kirschner (Avery Clark). There she meets Barry and Cynthia. Adam Marino and Krystle Armstrong-Alan are an adorable match. It’s so great to see Krystle back on local boards, and her voice is gorgeous. Adam is new to town but a great talent added to this show.

Barry Mann and Krystle Armstrong-Alan (Auston James)

The rest is history, with a jam-packed, powerhouse ensemble with big voices, to play famous singers and writers. The Drifters – Charles L. Simmons, Chandler T. Thomas, Nehemiah Hooks, Montel Butler – were so perfect with their harmonies and killer choreo moves. The Shirelles – Simone Alene, Anteia DeLaney, Alexandra Henderson, Nalica Hennings – shined as well. Savannah Lynn played several roles, as did Cherisse Martinelli, who also got a chance to display her singing chops to great effect. Matthew Posner, with a dreamy voice, got to sing with Jason Weitkamp as they blended together to be The Righteous Brothers, and add some solid humor along with the harmony.

 
Ohhhh, the music. R.J. Tancioco music directs a wonderful orchestra with big sounds. It’s a pleasure to listen and want to sing along.
 
Director and choreographer Lisa Shriver is one of the best musical directors we occasionally have had in town. It is so so clear that she knows what she’s doing. She put together an amazing cast and created a rhythm in the show with a swift tempo, but didn’t hurry along the sad parts. She’s pulled out all the humor, perfect choreography that mimics that period brilliantly. Here’s hoping she comes back more often!
 
And then, finally, there’s the star…. I first saw Sarah Rose in the 2010 productions of The Yellow Wood. She was always a “presence” in every show. She has a sweet, pure voice and expressive eyes. I watched as she gained bigger roles at the 5^th Avenue Theatre and grew in confidence. She’s taken on some big roles in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Holiday Inn, a fun role in Grease, A Chorus Line, and then there was the opportunity to play Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.
 
Funny Girl seemed like a bucket-list role and she was wonderful. She had to be funny and spunky and also draw us in to moments of great pathos. It was a triumph. And now that looks like the precursor preparation for portraying Carole King. Sarah Rose shows us every emotion and makes us feel all her feelings. Her singing is beautiful! She does Carole King proud!
 
Everyone should see this show. It’s for everyone aged 7 to 97. It’s one of the best musicals I’ve seen in a long time, so you owe it to yourself and your family to take everyone and go. It’s during the holidays – so give the “experience” as a gift to anyone on your gift list. They’ll remember that holiday gift for a long time.
 
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