Our day started off with some clouds
as we drove into Manhattan for a Thursday matinee. NYC and rain are not a good
combination, but as we approached the Triboro Bridge (I just can't get used to
calling it the RFK Bridge), we saw the clouds starting to open up, with the
hope of a sunny day ahead. And sure enough, by the time we had made it cross
town to the west side into the theatre district, the sun was, in fact out and
shining! We parked around the corner from the Stephen Sondheim theatre, on 44th
street, which situated us perfectly for the show and our dinner destination
after the show. Strolling leisurely, we made it to the theatre in plenty of
time and took some fun photos out in front before heading in.
I usually always opt for orchestra
seats, but since I purchased our tickets so close to the performance date,
there wasn't a great selection of good seats in the orchestra section, so
instead, I opted for front mezzanine. This turned out to be the perfect
location to view this show! We were dead center in the second row, which gave
us a wonderful birds-eye view of the action, high and low on the stage in this
performance. As we settled in, waiting for the show to begin, I managed to
steal a photo of the stage. I know you are not supposed to take pictures, but I
justified this one since the show hadn't begun and I just couldn't resist that
impressive Grand Piano looking so regal, center stage, draped in the deep blue
lighting. (I did get yelled at, but I already had this great shot in my
possession!).
Then the lights went down and out
walked this adorable, curly-haired Carole King look alike (Jessie Mueller) in a
vibrant blue flowered dress. At once, she sat at the piano, and talking to the
audience, she appeared just as anyone would expect Ms. King herself to look
sitting in front of a keyboard - completely at home. And her comfort level was
no acting job, for in a matter of minutes, Ms. Mueller was playing that piano
and singing with the ease and familiarity of someone who might have written the
song. With the first notes and words sung to So Far Away, I was
transformed back to my living room, listening to my mom's Carole King album -
the voice, the inflections; were quite distinctly the singer whose story we
came to see. We weren't hearing a Broadway show voice, but instead, the soft,
soulful, mellow singing of Carole King.
The show weaved a lovely and
touching narrative about this singer-songwriter's life from her teens growing
up in Brooklyn, New York through her remarkable career and success as a Grammy
award-winning artist. The story is filled with heart as it reveals an intimate
look at Carole King's personal and professional life, her relationship with her
songwriting partner and husband, Gerry Goffin, the high and low points and her
personal struggles. The audience also becomes intimately familiar with the
careers of two other remarkable song-writing talents of this era, Cynthia Weil
and Barry Mann, whose music is all too familiar to those of us who were around
in the '60's and '70's.
My mom was loving it!! She was
filling me in with tidbits here and there about Carole King that she had
acquired through the years, following her in interviews and television
concerts, and feeling almost like a soul-sister to her, being contemporaries
from the same generation.
Beautiful made us laugh, sing, bop and cry throughout, and left us
feeling so alive as we left the theatre. So much so, that we walked right out
of the theatre forgetting to make the all-important purchases we had talked
about while chatting during intermission. We immediately marched right back
inside the Sondheim theatre, where we each purchased both a cd soundtrack and a
Beautiful t-shirt. Our day was not complete as we walked over to 44th
street for dinner, recounting the amazing show we had just experienced. We both
agreed that Jessie Mueller absolutely deserved a Tony for her performance,
which not only included singing, dancing and acting (the usual and customary
"triple threat" in show business) but, for her added talent of
playing piano throughout this musical. I must say, I walked away awe struck.
Jarrod Spector, who played Barry Mann, was spectacularly multi-talented, singing
and playing both the keyboards and the guitar with great ease.
Now, ironically, the Tony Awards
took place three days following our seeing the show. The only thing better thanBeautiful
itself was seeing Jessie Mueller once again perform on television at the awards
show, alongside the real Carole King! My mom and I watched while on the
telephone together and felt like we were reliving the show! The only thing that
could have possibly topped this was when Ms. Mueller WON the Tony. That was a
BEAUTIFUL moment!!
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