Photos

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical tour – first look at rehearsals

The show opens at Curve at the end of the month

Alex Wood

14 February 2022

Claire Greenway (Genie), Naomi Alade (Shirelle) and Kevin Yates (Drifter and Lou Adler)
© Ellie Kurttz

Rehearsal images have been released for Beautiful – The Carole King Musical as the new production of the hit show prepares to premiere.

The new tour is co-produced by Curve, Leicester, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Mayflower Theatre Southampton, and opens in Leicester on 28 February 2022.

Appearing will be Molly-Grace Cutler (The Worst Witch) as Carole King and Tom Milner (Holby City) as Gerry Goffin, while Seren Sandham-Davies (Crazy For You) and Jos Slovick (Once) will play husband and wife song-writing duo Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Garry Robson (White Christmas) will play music producer and talent manager Don Kirshner.

Clare Greenway (Sister Act) will play Carole's mother Genie Klein, and Dan de Cruz will join as the production's on-stage musical director.

The cast is completed by Naomi Alade, Kemi Clarke, Chris Coxon, Amena El-Kindy, Louise Francis, Dylan Gordon-Jones, Jessica Jolleys, Sorrel Jordan, Myles Miller, Peter Mooney and Adrien Spencer.

After running in Leicester the show will visit locations including Theatre Royal Bath (17 to 26 March), Theatre Royal Brighton (29 March to 2 April), Festival Theatre Edinburgh (5 to 9 April), Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (12 to 16 April), Newcastle Theatre Royal (19 to 23 April), Orchard Theatre Dartford (26 to 30 April), Malvern Theatres (3 to 7 May), Cambridge Arts Theatre (10 to 21 May) and New Theatre, Cardiff (24 to 28 May).

The piece is based on King's remarkable career, and is directed by Curve's artistic director Nikolai Foster. The creative team features orchestrator Steve Sidwell and Curve associate and musical supervisor Sarah Travis

The actor-musician production will be choreographed by Leah Hill, with the creative team featuring set designer Frankie Bradshaw, costume designer Edd Lindley, lighting designer and Curve associate Ben Cracknell, sound designer Tom Marshall, associate director Jennifer Lane Baker and casting director and Curve Associate Kay Magson CDG.

Also attached are creatives involved in the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme (RTYDS) – resident assistant director Lilac Yosiphon and Birkbeck trainee director Thyrza Abrahams.

Featuring the back-catalogue of King, Goffin, Mann and Weil (with book by Douglas McGrath) the show originally ran in the West End for two and a half years before two UK tours.