Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Aldwych Theatre - review: 'Lewisham's Katie Brayben feels like a star in the making'

Beautiful star Katie Brayben is queen of the stage in new musical about Carole King's route to fame
Hit-makers: Katie Brayben as Carole King and Alan Morrissey as Gerry Goffin in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Picture: Brinkhoff/Moegenburg)
Brinkhoff/Moegenburg
Henry Hitchings7 May 2015

Carole King’s album Tapestry has sold more than 25 million copies, and even if you’ve never heard of her, you’ll know plenty of her catchy songs. This affectionate jukebox musical focuses on her route to success, between the ages of 16 and 29.

It’s a great showcase for Lewisham native Katie Brayben. Without exactly capturing the particular qualities of King’s voice and performance style, she sounds authentic and appealing — achieving a reassuring warmth and moments of raw passion.

She’s adept at suggesting King’s yearnings and vulnerabilities as well as her frankness and essential normality.

The approach to telling King’s story isn’t radical. It starts with a snapshot of her at her peak and then cuts back to her teenage years, when she’s being cajoled by her fierce mother (Glynis Barber) to give up her fantasies of making it as a musician and concentrate on qualifying as a teacher.

From there it proceeds chronologically, as King meets her husband and songwriting partner Gerry Goffin (Alan Morrissey), begins to churn out hits and forges an amusingly competitive relationship with fellow tunesmiths Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann (played with snappy verve by Lorna Want and Ian McIntosh).

Later the story darkens. Humiliated by Gerry’s infidelities, which stem from the pressure of endlessly having to pen songs for other artists, she nonetheless finds a way to assert herself and become a star in her own right.

This isn’t exhilaratingly dramatic. But Marc Bruni’s staging is slick and witty, Douglas McGrath’s book nicely highlights the industrial efficiency of the music business, and Derek McLane’s sets reinforce the impression of a world in which musicians are treated as soulless hirelings.

Those who like their entertainment edgy may regard Beautiful as polite to the point of being tame. But this gently enjoyable show deserves to find an audience — and will surely enchant Baby Boomers nostalgic for the sounds of the Sixties.

Although the absence of a big name may hamper its chances, Brayben feels like a star in the making.

Until June 13 (0845 200 7981, beautifulinlondon.co.uk)

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