Asolo Triumphs with Carole King Musical

SARASOTA — On Saturday, the Asolo Repertory Theatre opened its 2024/25 season with Beautiful, the acclaimed jukebox musical that tells the story of Carole King’s early career and transition from a songwriting couple to a superstar solo artist.

Born at the tail end of 1974, I’m definitely Gen X. Glam rock, grunge, heavy metal, and early hip hop were the defining music of my generation. But after discovering my father’s record collection at a very young age, rock’s golden era from the mid-’60s through the late ‘70s was forever stamped as my music. Bands like The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Doors still dominate my playlists. Nevertheless, people are always surprised when I assert that Carole King’s Tapestry, which I found among my mother’s records, is not only the greatest album of that era but arguably the greatest album of all time across all genres. What’s more, it was a debut album!

Aja Simone Baitey, Tiana Williams, Alyssa Enita Stanford, and Kianna Kelly-Futch. Photo by Adrian Van Stee

Beautiful tells the story of how a relative unknown would burst onto the scene as a performer with a record loaded from front to back with timeless classics, including the title track, I Feel the Earth Move, So Far Away, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and Will You Love Me Tomorrow. King and her then-husband Gerry Goffin, who co-wrote the last two songs on that list, formed a successful songwriting team at Don Kirshner's Dimension Records.

In those days, King composed the music, and Goffin wrote most of the lyrics. Their work included Chains (recorded by the Beatles on their debut album), The Loco-Motion (recorded by Little Eva, who was the couple's babysitter at the time), Up on the Roof (recorded by the Drifters), and many, many more. While at Dimension, the couple worked alongside and became friends with another successful songwriting couple, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who are featured prominently in the play.

Alyssa Enita Stanford and the cast of Beautiful. Photo by Adrian Van Stee

Julia Knitel gives a masterful performance as King, not only bringing her beautiful music to life but capturing so many of her nuanced idiosyncrasies that you feel almost transported back to that time and place. Devin Archer gives a strong performance as the brooding Goffin, while Ryan Vona provides the requisite levity and comic relief as Mann. Emma Flynn Bespolka gives a larger-than-life turn as Weil, while Anne Nathan endears as King’s mother. Mathew Bryan Feld nails the aura of the early rock and roll suit as Donny Kirschner and a talented song-and-dance ensemble round out the cast.

Asolo’s Beautiful is a triumph of the genre, even by the very high bar the company has set over the decades. One needs to know nothing about King or her music to lose themselves in the majesty of this stellar production. Directed by Shelley Butler with musical direction by Angela Steiner and choreography by Banji Aborisade, it runs through Jan. 5 in the Mertz Theatre at the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts. Click here for ticket and schedule information.

Melvin Gray Jr., AJ Lockhart, Cornelius Davis, and Torrey Linder. Photo by Adrian Van Stee