Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at Curve Theatre – Previews show on 1st March 2022
Review
What a sensation this show was, the cast were all quadruple threats and were absolutely incredible. The cast not only sang, acted, moved the sets and did choreography but they all also played the instruments the whole time. I was honestly not expecting that at all and it was amazing seeing how talented the whole cast were.
Most of the cast were doing split characters and split tracks which shows just how exceptionally talented and versatile the cast were. I loved the whole vibe of the show even though the back story is actually sad with Gerry and the songs that he wrote with Carole having some sad lyrics, the cast actually made this show so fun and it was a constant jam session at the recording studio it was seriously so much fun. It was so much fun from start to finish. It felt like you were part of their friendship group and felt part of the story. I just am in awe of this amazing show.
The set was minimal but it worked so well as there weren’t many scene changes, I really loved the set we did have it was really pretty and very clever and it moved around according to scene which gave the effect of a different room. The lighting was amazing, the sound was incredible, the music and the songs were beautifully done, literally everyone was exceptionally talented and created this amazing show.
Molly-Grace Cutler as Carole actually shocked me instantly the second she started to sing I was shocked she actually sounded exactly like Carole and wow I wasn’t expecting to hear that stunning voice, not one song did she do that didn’t sound like Carole. She also had that Brooklyn accent down perfectly and honestly was so believable and perfect as Carole the whole show, I loved her shyness, innocence and her love and friendship, she was insanely incredible and her voice blew me away she was phenomenal and such a perfect casting choice for Carole.
Tom Milner as Gerry pulled at my heart, he portrayed him perfectly with all his flaws on display, the sadness, the brokenness, he was incredible and so in depth with the characters details. He was raw and laid all his emotional out there, he never once broke from the character even when the show came back from intermission (and the audience weren’t paying attention as they hadn’t realised it was back on) he continued his role perfectly. His connection with Molly-Grace/Carole was amazing they acted off each other perfectly and you felt everything with them. He also had such an outstandingly incredible voice, just wow.
Seren Sandham-Davies as Cynthia this is one actress that was loving every second of her job, she was always so happy and excitable and brought all her joy out through her character. It really helped make the show even more special feeling that warmth and joy radiating off of her. She had such a beautiful voice and I loved listening to her singing. I loved her friendship with Molly-Grace/Carole it was so sweet and perfect. I also really loved her and Jos/Barrry what a beautiful couple they were and she made it work perfectly.
Jos Slovick as Barry was seriously so funny and had so many of the funny comedic lines and delivered them incredibly. I adored how much you could feel how much he loved Cynthia, it was utterly adorable he portrayed it so well. His voice was so so powerful and he was amazing.
The groups and other artists portrayed were all incredible and they all sounded exactly like the artists they were portraying at the time. I’d honestly be here all day if I did an individual review on each group and artist or character. Every single one of them were insanely talented, they all had such incredibly beautiful voices, they all did split tracks going on as multiple characters, multiple songs and nailed every single one of them, blowing me away with their talent. They all loved what they were doing you could feel how much they loved their job and I loved watching them all.
This show was a sensational well created show, you can see the cast and crew worked super hard, it was an incredibly diverse cast, it also included a wheel chair user. The show was beautiful and sad, it made you want to sing and dance with them and takes you to such a warm place. You were crying with them and had your heartstrings pulled many times. The cast clearly worked hard to learn everything for this show and it payed off. The staging and choreography is so perfectly crafted and I was so happy I got the opportunity to see this amazing show.
You don’t wanna miss seeing this show you will severely regret it. It’s a show that deserves all the attention. It’s a sensation and will give you the most wonderful experience, you’ll laugh, cry, sing, dance and feel so much and you’ll leave wanting more.
Cast & Crew:
Cast
Molly-Grace Cultler as Carole King
Tom Milner as Gerry Goffin
Seren Sandham-Davies as Cynthia Weil
Jos Slovick as Barry Mann
Garry Robson as Donnie Kirshner
Kemi Clark as The Drifters
Myles Miller as The Drifters & Engineer
Kevin Yates as The Drifters & Lou Adler
Dylan Gordon-Jones as The Drifters & Swing
Louise Francis as The Shirelles & Janelle
Arena El-Kindy as The Shirelles & Lil Eva
Naomi Alade as The Shirelles
Darien Spencer as The Shirelles & Swing
Peter Mooney as The Righteous Brother’s & Nick
Dan-De-Cruz as The Righteous Brothers & Neil Sedaka & Musical Director
Sorrel Jordan as Betty & Marilyn Wald
Claire Greenway as Genie
Chris Coxon as Swing
Jessica Jolleys as Swing
Production Team
Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann and Douglas McGrath – Writers, Creators
Nikolai Foster – Director
Steve Sidwell – Orchestra
Sarah Travis – Musical Superviser
Leah Hill – Choreographer
Tarim Frimpong – Associate Choreographer
Frankie Bradshaw – Set Designer
Edd Lindley – Costume Designer
Ben Cracknell – Lighting Designer
Tom Marshall – Sound Designer
Lizzie Frankl for Propworks – Props Supervisor
Jennifer Lane Baker – Associate Director
Thyrza Abrahams – Birckbeck Resident Assistant Director
Kay Magson CDG – Casting Director
Want to see a clip from rehearsals click here
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