BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL
Cliffs Pavilion Southend on Sea
10th - 14th October 2017
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
Cliffs Pavilion Southend on Sea
10th - 14th October 2017
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
The anticipation and expectations of seeing this touring version of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical was always going to be high. I was introduced to Carole King's music in the late eighties, when I worked with a fabulous bunch of women, a little older than me, who were constantly harping on about this album they had which had almost become like a soundtrack to their lives with its songs which reflected life's emotions of love, friendship, break-ups and make-ups. That record was Carole King's Tapestry and I too was to became a big fan of Carole King's music from thereon.
Fast forward to 2015 and Beautiful - The Carole King Musical takes the West End by storm with a flurry of Olivier nominations and winners for best actress in a musical for Katie Brayben as Carole and Lorna Want winning best actress in a supporting role for her part as Cynthia Weil. I was fortunate enough to see the show in the West End three times and not only loved it for its wonderful production values but also for the fact that it documented Carole King's extraordinary life in all its truth and how the songs she wrote with her then husband, Gerry Goffin, really did reflect what was happening in their lives.
What a lot of people also won't realise is that King and Goffin wrote a lot of songs for other people and groups. The Drifter's had a huge hit with Some Kind of Wonderful, Bobby Vee's Take Good Care of My Baby and Little Eva's Locomotion were all penned by the pair; and who knew that the Monkees' Pleasant Valley Sunday was a Carole King song?
The show leads us through Carole's life as a young, naive 16 year old girl writing songs in her bedroom to meeting Gerry Goffin who would become her husband and writing partner, to her triumphant performance of her solo album, Tapestry, at Carnegie Hall.
Following Katie Brayben and Cassidy Jansen into the role of Carole was always going to be a big ask but Bronté Barbé has clearly seized the opportunity and puts her heart and soul into the part. You would hardly recognise her now from when she was a finalist in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Over the Rainbow back in 2010. She plays Carole with such an endearing quality and really finds the emotion in every song with her gorgeous voice.
Carole and Gerry's good friends and song writing rivals, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann are brilliantly played by Amy Ellen Richardson and Matthew Gonsalves. Amy totally nails all the sassy qualities that Cynthia exuded, along with a belter of a voice from the moment she takes the stage with Happy Days Are Here Again. Matthew plays hypochondriac, Barry, with great comic timing and also has a fabulous voice.
This cast also boasts a fabulous ensemble and in particular the guys and girls who play The Drifters and Sherelles, who wowed the audience with their wonderful harmonies and nicely choreographed routines. The Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Loving Feeling, written by Cynthia and Barry is another number that went down a storm with the audience. The whole production is impressively slick and nothing has been lost from the West End production which can quite often happen with touring shows.
The production team have done a great job of transferring this show from the West End. It is a delight from beginning to end and had Southend audiences on their feet at the finale on opening night. With songs such as You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman, Take Good Care of my Baby, You’ve Got a Friend, So Far Away, It Might As Well Rain Until September, this show really highlights the amazing musical talents of the outstanding Carole King.
The West End has truly come to Southend. Beg, steal or borrow to see this show - you really won't want to miss it!
Review: Kim Tobin
Tickets are selling really well for this show so grab your tickets now!
Fast forward to 2015 and Beautiful - The Carole King Musical takes the West End by storm with a flurry of Olivier nominations and winners for best actress in a musical for Katie Brayben as Carole and Lorna Want winning best actress in a supporting role for her part as Cynthia Weil. I was fortunate enough to see the show in the West End three times and not only loved it for its wonderful production values but also for the fact that it documented Carole King's extraordinary life in all its truth and how the songs she wrote with her then husband, Gerry Goffin, really did reflect what was happening in their lives.
What a lot of people also won't realise is that King and Goffin wrote a lot of songs for other people and groups. The Drifter's had a huge hit with Some Kind of Wonderful, Bobby Vee's Take Good Care of My Baby and Little Eva's Locomotion were all penned by the pair; and who knew that the Monkees' Pleasant Valley Sunday was a Carole King song?
The show leads us through Carole's life as a young, naive 16 year old girl writing songs in her bedroom to meeting Gerry Goffin who would become her husband and writing partner, to her triumphant performance of her solo album, Tapestry, at Carnegie Hall.
Following Katie Brayben and Cassidy Jansen into the role of Carole was always going to be a big ask but Bronté Barbé has clearly seized the opportunity and puts her heart and soul into the part. You would hardly recognise her now from when she was a finalist in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Over the Rainbow back in 2010. She plays Carole with such an endearing quality and really finds the emotion in every song with her gorgeous voice.
Carole and Gerry's good friends and song writing rivals, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann are brilliantly played by Amy Ellen Richardson and Matthew Gonsalves. Amy totally nails all the sassy qualities that Cynthia exuded, along with a belter of a voice from the moment she takes the stage with Happy Days Are Here Again. Matthew plays hypochondriac, Barry, with great comic timing and also has a fabulous voice.
This cast also boasts a fabulous ensemble and in particular the guys and girls who play The Drifters and Sherelles, who wowed the audience with their wonderful harmonies and nicely choreographed routines. The Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Loving Feeling, written by Cynthia and Barry is another number that went down a storm with the audience. The whole production is impressively slick and nothing has been lost from the West End production which can quite often happen with touring shows.
The production team have done a great job of transferring this show from the West End. It is a delight from beginning to end and had Southend audiences on their feet at the finale on opening night. With songs such as You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman, Take Good Care of my Baby, You’ve Got a Friend, So Far Away, It Might As Well Rain Until September, this show really highlights the amazing musical talents of the outstanding Carole King.
The West End has truly come to Southend. Beg, steal or borrow to see this show - you really won't want to miss it!
Review: Kim Tobin
Tickets are selling really well for this show so grab your tickets now!
Perfs: Tue to Sat 8pm, Matinees Wed, Thu, Sat 2.30pm
Seats: Tue – Thu 8pm - £44.00, £42.50, £40.50, £32.50, Premium £54.50
Fri & Sat 8pm and Sat 2.30pm - £47.50, £45.50, £42.50, £34.50, Premium £57.50
Wed & Thu 2.30pm - £41.50, £39.50, £37.50, £30.50, Premium £50.50
Concs £2.50 off (exc. Fri & Sat 8pm and all Premium seats)
Under 16s £5.00 off (exc. Fri & Sat 8pm and all Premium seats)
Group discounts available (exc. Premium seats)
Prices shown are inclusive of any applicable booking fees. Groups of 10+ please call 01702 351135 to buy fee-free.
www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Seats: Tue – Thu 8pm - £44.00, £42.50, £40.50, £32.50, Premium £54.50
Fri & Sat 8pm and Sat 2.30pm - £47.50, £45.50, £42.50, £34.50, Premium £57.50
Wed & Thu 2.30pm - £41.50, £39.50, £37.50, £30.50, Premium £50.50
Concs £2.50 off (exc. Fri & Sat 8pm and all Premium seats)
Under 16s £5.00 off (exc. Fri & Sat 8pm and all Premium seats)
Group discounts available (exc. Premium seats)
Prices shown are inclusive of any applicable booking fees. Groups of 10+ please call 01702 351135 to buy fee-free.
www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Bronté Barbé
Ask the Audience
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Jackie Smith, 59, Chelmsford
"I thought it was exuberant. It was lovely to watch Carole King turn from a lovely young girl into a brilliant singer and writer - even now. I'd definitely recommend it to friends. It was brilliant." Angela, 47, Galleywood "I thought it had a brilliant cast of musicians and singers. I didn't really know much about Carole King beforehand but it was really interesting. I didn't realise she'd done so many well known songs. A really fabulous cast!" Lin Alexander, 61, Galleywood
"I thought it was really, really good. I'm not a great musical fan but that was brilliant and all the songs were from my era years ago and she spans a massive era. I actually want to find out more about her now and her life. She was the star of the show. She was brilliant." |
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