Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Picture: Fraser Band

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical continues at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre in repertory until 28 September 2024.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Oh, wow… Kirsty Findlay is absolutely wonderful in the title role – her voice develops from the charming, sweet 16-year-old Carole (Klein, but about to become King) in this extraordinary songbook show. Once she hits ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’, her voice is transformed into Carole King’s – just the right vibrato, vulnerability and pitch perfect melody that set King apart from so many other songwriters of her time.

When a show is a ‘jukebox’ musical, featuring specific songs from an era such as this is, the quality of the book and the way the characters are written becomes vitally important. Sensibly, Douglas McGrath’s book focuses primarily on the decade of King’s marriage to Gerry Goffin, played by Connor Going, although perhaps a touch more sanitised than the reality of Goffin’s lifestyle.

At this time, Goffin is charmed by Carole – she the music, he the words – as they are signed up as a songwriting team handled by Donnie Kirshner (Robin Simpson) who matches the songwriters’ material with the best artist. Set up in New York’s Brill Building with many other writers, the couple become friendly rivals with Barry Mann (Theo Diedrick) and Cynthia Weil (Lola Aluko). These two couples play along really well together with a great sense of friendship between the four of them.

As the songs are created, we see them being sung to the world by the likes of The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Righteous Brothers and Bobby Vee. Very much of their time, these fabulous numbers are staged by Sundeep Saini (choreography and movement) most convincingly. Credit to the wardrobe and design for the authentic detail (Jessica Worrall) that re-creates the trends of the decade.

And what a sound… Both musical direction (Richard Reeday) and sound (Hugh Balfour and Toby McFarlane) create stunning moments that are beautifully lit (Jeanine Byrne). The Drifters’ rendition of Mann and Weil’s ‘On Broadway’ is an outstanding moment, showing every element to its best advantage.

Scenic design is marvellous – stripped back with a raised stage where the plethora of musical instruments are housed. Practically every actor plays several instruments and accompanies the songs flawlessly. This also keeps the show moving at a real clip of pace, even the scene changes are artfully entertaining!

Sam Hardie’s direction uses the energy of the cast to great effect. Even when a number threatens to ‘stop the show’, the story comes straight back in to keep the enthusiastic audience in a state of listening and guiding their attention back to the next step of the journey. Her placing of scenes is sensitively in tune with the underlying tensions and humour in the book.

There is not a single dull moment or wasted word in this show. Every member of the cast is convincing; it’s a pleasingly deep yet simple and joyous piece of theatre. Overhearing an audience member tell her friend that she really doesn’t like musicals, but loved this show, marks it as something special.

Go – see the show that begins with her mother telling Carole: “Girls don’t write music. They teach it.” Oh, Carole – the world is so glad you realised what you have is beautiful.

Fiona Orr