The producers of Unknown Katie Brayben, a performer from Lewisham in London has been selected to play the title role. Previously she’s only featured as supporting cast, in American Psycho at the Almeida and as Princess Diana in their West End transfer of Charles III. She’s an attractive combination of stubbornness and vulnerability throughout and more than justifies the producer’s faith in her. You’ll really want her to succeed as she battles those around her for control over her own destiny.
Beautiful is one of those terrific evenings when you suddenly discover how many of your favourite hits are the work of one artist
The supporting cast are excellent too. Glynis Barber plays King’s mother Genie Klein who tried to persuade her daughter to become a teacher. Alan Morrissey is the cheating husband and Ian McIntosh, Gerry Goffin, Lorna Want and Gary Trainor play industry friends and rivals.
The show styles itself as “the untold story of her journey from school girl to superstar; from her relationship with husband and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin, their close friendship and playful rivalry with fellow song-writing duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, to her remarkable rise to stardom” and it absolutely delivers with more depth of characterisation than we’ve come to expect from other juke box musicals, the name for shows which incorporate pre-existing pop songs into a musical.
Of course the main attraction is hearing wonderful performances of a feast of great songs you already know. A cast of 26 and an orchestra of 12 give a raft of Carole King hits show stopping performances including SO FAR AWAY, IT MIGHT AS WELL RAIN UNTIL SEPTEMBER, TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY, WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW, UP ON THE ROOF, LOCOMOTION, ONE FINE DAY, YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND, (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL WOMAN and I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE, along with hits like YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELING, ON BROADWAY and UPTOWN from rival songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
I found it refreshing that such a relatively normal woman is at the heart of one of these biopic shows. Some critics have regretted that we don’t get more insight into what drives her but I enjoyed watching such a humble but unassuming figure stepping out from writing other people’s hits to taking centre stage herself.
Shoe horning songs into a series of chronological scenes showing snap shots of an artist’s life is never going to be high art and it’s true that this hasn’t been done with anything like the skill with which Joe Penhall has told the story of British band The Kinks in Sunny Afternoon the hit show currently at The Harold Pinter Theatre. Neither are the numbers integrated with the knowing wit that you’ll find in Mamma Mia but Beautiful succeeds in its own gentle way thanks to the excellent casting and careful recreation of the Tony award winning Broadway production.
As king has said “"I wanted to show people who love their songs where they came from, and to show that some of the romance and hope and heartbreak they hear in them came from real life."
It’s this real life element that makes the story so powerful. A marriage in meltdown, and the hopes and dreams of struggling artists in a competitive industry, these are the things that grip us rather than any dark and shocking revelations.
It will raise your spirits if you fancy a poignant, tuneful depiction of how a talented yet, ordinary woman succeeded against the odds
This is great show for a girls night as it has an uplifting message of female empowerment but it’ll also raise your spirits if you fancy a poignant, tuneful depiction of how a talented yet, ordinary woman succeeded against the odds.
Even if you’ve never heard of King check out some of her songs on the web to whet your appetite and treat yourself to a ticket.
There's a festive Spanish atmosphere from the moment you enter the Playhouse Theatre with flamenco music and appropriately themed drink deals.