Domonic Barnes is the local director of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, with showtimes at The Levoy August 7 to 16.
Domonic Barnes is the local director of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,
with showtimes at The Levoy August 7 to 16.
Not everything Carole King touched turned to gold. There was that cheeky answer record to Neil Sedaka’s “Oh! Carol.” “Oh, Neil.” Released as an album track in 1960, its humor only went so far for the Brooklyn teenager.
Don’t feel bad for King’s early disappointment. She’s done all right by herself since she and former hubby Gerry Goffin hit gold in 1959 by penning the song by the Shirelle’s, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” And the hits kept on coming. The latest hit landed on Broadway with the production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
The production is a biography of sorts.
“The musical does such a stellar job at blending King’s music and life in a delicious package for audiences,” says Domonic Barnes, the local director who oversees the version of the play coming to Levoy Theatre August 7 to 16. Abigail Graham (pictured), 20, from Deptford, stars as King.
Beautiful premiered on Broadway in 2014 with a book by late Oscar and Tony-nominated Douglas McGrath and directed by Marc Bruni. Actress Jessie Mueller received rave reviews as Carole King.
“Let’s be real. Her music shaped a generation and continues to be just as relevant today,” Barnes says.
“One Fine Day,” “He’s So Fine,” “The Locomotion,” songs others scored hits on, and her own material, like “You’ve Got a Friend” and “It’s Too Late,” from her breakthrough album, Tapestry. The list goes on and on and on.
The musical uses King’s music to tell her story from age 16 to 29, warts and all.
“We see her career and life from selling her first song to just after her Tapestry album,” Barnes says. “We thought our audiences would really connect with the story and the artist it’s based on.”
The setlist includes 25 hits sprinkled throughout the show. Most of the hits come in part from King. Contemporary collaborators and colleagues Goffin, Cynthia Weil, and Barry Mann also contributed to this song list, including “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’.”
Barnes is a fan of both the music and the artist, who has called a ranch in Idaho home since the early 1980s. “I absolutely love her music. There is a level of complexity and honesty in every word and note that rings so true to me as an artist. On top of the brilliant music her story is one of growth and reinvention. She went from writing for other artists to writing and singing her own music, which is when most people took notice of her incredible talents.”
In 2021, King unveiled a new song, “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” with Jennifer Hudson and Jamie Hartman for Hudson’s performance as Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect. The film also includes Hudson’s take of the Goffin/King song “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman.”
If You Go:
What: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Dates: August 7 to 16
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: The Levoy Theatre 126-130- N. High Street, Millville, NJ 08332
Phone Number: 800-642-7676
Website: https://levoy.net/
Tickets: $30, available at the box office or from the link: https://levoy.net/
