Carole King’s songs have provided the soundtrack to countless lives. What’s so canny about “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” is that it uses these same songs to tell the story of King’s own life. King’s is a story so rich, so intertwined with the very fabric of American popular culture, that if it weren’t true, someone would have to write it.
The creative team does top-shelf work, with costume designer Johanna Pan and wig designer Destinee Steele in particular helping to subtly and effectively convey the passage of time and changing culture through aesthetic choices that feel grounded and authentic. Ultimately, 13 years isn’t a terribly long time, but McGrath’s book and Salgado’s smart direction drive home just how important those years were to King and to the country as a whole. King started as someone who worked to support others, her writing providing hits to artists from The Shirelles (“Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” 1961) to The Drifters (“Up On The Roof,” 1962) to The Monkees (“Pleasant Valley Sunday,” 1967).
