Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Little Theatre in Leicester is toe tapping, fun and delightful all in equal measure.
The musical follows the life of Carole King (Natasha Carr) one of the all time most successful singer-songwriters. The show starts with her humble beginnings living with her mum (Charlotte Beaver) trying to sell her first song and goes all the way through to the recording of her hit solo album Tapestry. She gets her first break thanks to music producer Donnie Kirshner (David Lovell) who is willing to take a punt on her first song, It Might as Rain Until September.

In college, she meets Gerry Coffin (Nick Wilkins) and the two quickly hit it off both romantically and professionally. Together they write Some Kind of Wonderful which Donnie is happy to take on for The Drifters to record.

Carole and Gerry meet Cynthia Weil (Cara Gibson) and Barry Mann (Alex Thompson) who also form a songwriting duo. The four of them become good friends with a healthy level of competition to write the next big hit.

The rest of the show follows as Carole’s career becomes increasingly successful whilst her relationship with Gerry begins to strain under the pressure of working together and Gerry’s increasingly erratic behaviour.

Carr is a brilliant Carole King, with the strength of her performance growing as the show builds momentum. Her voice is strong and is especially powerful when Carr is able to dig into the emotional core of a song. Her performance of One Fine Day at the end of Act One is a particular highlight; not only does she perform the song technically very well, but the underlying fire and emotion gave me goosebumps. Another highlight for Carr are the finale songs of Beautiful and I Feel the Earth Move where it is clear she is loving the role and in complete control.

Wilkins’ voice also has opportunities to shine as Gerry, with Take Care of my Baby in the first act showcasing both his vocals but also how well his voice pairs with Carr’s—the harmonies make for very enjoyable listening.
Thompson and Gibson also have very well matched voices in He’s Sure the Boy I Love. These two also have fun chemistry together as Barry and Cynthia, bouncing off each other’s energy throughout.

Until Carole King hit on her solo career, the songs she and her songwriting friends wrote were mostly performed by other artists, especially The Drifters and The Shirelles who provide sounds of the 60s, 70s, and 80s throughout the show.
The Drifters, comprising Andrew Bond, Shay Kubavat, and Ray Samuel McLeod with Lewis Shaw as the lead, deliver a wonderful rendition of Up on the Roof with Shaw’s tight but expressive vocals being particularly enjoyable.

The Shirelles, comprising Jade Afflick-Goodall, Francescia Benjamin, and Carissma Griffiths, with Adele Watts as the lead, give a fun performance of The Locomotion which I now cannot get out of my head!
Kaya Afflick’s set design is simple but effective, giving space for the cast to shine on stage and also allowing the orchestra to be visible throughout the whole show which is always a big plus for me.

The orchestra is phenomenal with top class performances throughout under the musical direction of Reece Crane. They give the show a strong sense of momentum and kept the pace up.

Director Joshua Taylor-Williams also succeeds in ensuring the pace of the show is maintained throughout and that all cast and ensemble members get their moment in the spotlight no matter how large the role.

The choreography by Jade Afflick-Goodall is fun throughout, with the ensemble pieces being particularly energetic.

This production by the Knighton Park Amateur Operatic Society is sure to put a smile on your face and have you humming Carole King’s music for days to come!