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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 14 January 2019
Beautiful! Carole King shows up as herself in Broadway bio

By BROOKE LEFFERTS hear from people who've
Associated Press brought friends, family and
NEW YORK (AP) — Anything shared the joy and shared
can happen in live theater, the love, and it's amazing.
and audience members "So if you keep doing that,
seeing "Beautiful," the life you never know when I
story of Carole King, got might show up again," she
a surprise when King ap- joked.
peared in the role of herself Among the audience
to celebrate the show's fifth members was Chuck
anniversary on Broadway. Schumer, the U.S. senator
The packed house at the from New York, who waved
Stephen Sondheim The- to the crowd and gestured
atre erupted into thunder- thumbs up as he exited the
ous cheers and applause theater. "CBS This Morning"
as King appeared Satur- anchor Gayle King was
day night, sitting at a baby also at the show and said it
grand piano and showing was her fourth time seeing
all the love in her heart as it. "I love it. I love her," she
she sang "Beautiful," the fi- said. "I still have my 'Tapes-
nal song. try' album."
"It's kind of miraculous that "Beautiful" is based on
this show has lasted for five King's life from when she
years because not many was a teenage songwriter In this Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, photo Carole King, third from right, poses for photos with the cast
of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre after a performance in
do. And it's a testament to, I in New York, to her time as New York.
think, people say the music wife, mother and author Associated Press
... but the book is so good of scores of recognizable
and the direction and the songs. The show features a
lighting and the sets. It's collection of famous pop
really a well put together music, written by King and
production," King said in an her ex-husband Gerry Gof-
interview with The Associ- fin, as well as Barry Mann
ated Press after the show. and Cynthia Weil, includ-
She has sung onstage dur- ing the classics "You've Got
ing curtain calls during the a Friend," ''One Fine Day,"
show's long run but has ''Up on the Roof," ''You've
never appeared in the Lost That Lovin' Feeling"
show itself. and "Natural Woman."
In the show's final scene — King called seeing herself
set during her famous 1971 played as a character on-
Carnegie Hall concert — stage "surreal" but said she
the 76-year-old King played is pleased the show has
a much younger version had such longevity.
of herself as she took over "Beautiful" opened on
for Chilina Kennedy, who Broadway on Jan. 13, 2014,
recently returned to the and won the 2014 Tony
Broadway production of Award for best actress in a
"Beautiful" after playing the musical for Jessie Mueller;
King role in the North Amer- the 2015 Grammy Award
ican tour. for best musical theater
King and the cast then per- album; and two 2015 Oliv-
formed the show's encore ier Awards, Britain's version
number, "I Feel the Earth of the Tonys. Productions
Move," at the curtain call have played in London,
as the audience danced Japan and Australia and
and clapped along. The toured the United King-
singer-songwriter held dom. The North American
hands with Kennedy as the tour is celebrating its third
two took several bows and anniversary of sold-out runs
accepted flowers from the and is currently playing at
cast. Philadelphia's Academy of
"Everyone connected with Music.
this show will agree that the When producers came to
people we have to thank her to suggest she appear
the most are you, the au- in the last scene to mark
diences; please give your- the show's anniversary, King
selves a hand," King told said, she did not hesitate.
the audience, a sea of cell- "I totally envisioned that
phones snapping pictures. moment, and it was a
"It's thanks to you, you who thousand times more than
have come once ... twice, I had imagined," King told
three times," she said. "I the AP.q