REVIEW: Beautiful
The Carnegie Wraps Up its Summer Season in Style
The Carnegie, Covington’s theatre gem, wraps up its summer season with a rousing production of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” Directed by Dee Anne Bryll and Ed Cohen, this jukebox musical features classic songs from not only King’s catalog but also the writing team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil while telling the story of King’s humble beginnings to her famous performance at Carnegie Hall.
Here are five of the reasons you shouldn’t miss this show:
Jacob Priddy’s music direction. While I love the story of King’s life, the real reason this show is so good is the incredible soundtrack. The set design features a permanent recording studio, a concept that Bryll mentioned to me months ago when talking about the show. (I liked it!). As a result, the band is seated on stage the entire time, behind the glass windows, and watching Priddy conduct is a thing of beauty. The energy he - and his musical direction - brings to the production is my favorite thing.
The chemistry between Bethany Xan Kerr (Carole) and Carey Davenport (Gerry). It’s imperative that the actress playing Carole be a strong vocalist but also able to evoke empathy from the audience - and Kerr does this marvelously. She is best in her tenderest moments. I would argue, though, that without a strong counterpart in “Gerry Goffin,” her philandering, troubled husband, the show doesn’t work. Enter Carey Davenport. Davenport is an interesting performer; not only is he multi-talented as a musician, actor, composer, and more, he looks half his age but harbors an ability to be menacing and dark and infinitely watchable. Carole is light and beauty and wonder, Gerry is depressed and manic and dangerous. Together, they make magic.
The Supporting cast members like Sean Miller-Jones, Julie Coppens, Ethan Kutcha, Aaron Marshall, Gabby Casto, and more are wonderful. Jones (“Don Kirschner”) has a secret weapon; he is unassuming and an everyman. But his talent is anything but normal. As he showed in “Rocky Horror” (and many other roles I’ve seen him in over the years), he is as versatile a performer as we have locally. Coppens, whom I’ve never seen act before, is such a pro that I never once doubted her maternal warmth and motherly angst as “Genie.” Marshall, like Jones, is a well-rounded performer and sneaks in and out of different characters in this musical with ease. And his voice is stunning. Kutcha, who is equally talented, also plays multiple roles and has charisma in spades. Casto has a tiny bit of stage time as “Marilyn Wald,” but in those few moments, she sings her face off and sets up one of the most rewarding scenes in the entire show. The entire ensemble is talented, but these folks stand out.
Chris Lipstreu’s inspired lighting design. The frequent, rapid scene changes and transitions benefit from the timing of his lighting cues, and he makes good use of Carnegie’s ever-expanding lighting grid and other tools. The other technical elements, like costumes by Cat Schmeal-Swope, feel natural and time-specific. Candace Leyland’s wig design mostly works well, and there were a few interesting sound moments in Mia C. Teboe’s design.
The incredible vocal work. Of course, much of this credit goes to Priddy and his musical direction, but I would remiss not to mention the amazing voices of Kerr, Davenport, Grant Bell (“Barry Mann”), Casto, Kutcha, Marshall, Victoria Okafor, Donald Washington, and more. The harmonies are like butter; these are the types of voices I demand to hear when I see a musical. Top-tier talent is imperative in professional theatre - and Tyler Gabbard and his directors seem to “get it.”
So there you have it. Is this a perfect production? No. Will it sell out? Most likely - and it should. It’s a great retelling of an American music icon’s journey to creative success and legendary status. I think it’s not to be missed.
BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical runs through August 25th at The Carnegie in Covington, KY. Tickets and more information can be found here.