Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Content Guide

CONTENT guide • ages 11 and up

Content Guide Information by Rylee Coppel, Director of Education and Engagement

Charleston Stage, now celebrating its 46th Season, is South Carolina’s largest professional theatre company in residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre. Charleston Stage’s acclaimed full-scale productions light up the stage with stunning scenery, dazzling costumes, and brilliant lights! Productions feature a Professional Resident Acting Company and over 100 professional actors, singers, designers and theatre artists. All performances take place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre, “America’s First Theatre,” in the heart of downtown Charleston.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 Synopsis

3 Characters and Content Warning

4-5 Background Info: The Creative Team and Fun Facts

6-7 Dock Street Theatre

8 Theatre Education Book by Douglas McGrath

Words and Music by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Music by Arrangement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing Orchestrations, Vocal and Incidental Music Arrangements by Steve Sidwell

Synopsis:

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tells the true story of singersongwriter Carole King. The musical takes audiences on a journey through her life, from her early days as a teenager to her transformation into a successful solo artist. Set against the backdrop of the 1960s/1970s music scene, the show celebrates Carole King’s talent and her journey of self-discovery.

“When you’re down and troubled and need some lovin care.”

CHARACTERS

CAROLE KING: An ordinary girl who did extraordinary things. An American songwriter/ performer Carole has been active from the 1960’s and regarded as the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century. Throughout the show we see her transform from a shy teenager into the confident woman who takes the plunge into becoming one of the most successful female singers of all time.

GERRY GOFFIN: Carole King’s first husband and song writing partner, writing lyrics to many of her early hits.

CYNTHIA WEIL: A lyricist working at the Brill Building, she and her song writing partner Barry Mann form a friendly rivalry with Carole and Gerry.

BARRY MANN: A song writer working at the Brill building. Barry is full of energy, cheeky and a bit of a flirt.

DON KIRSHNER: A successful record producer and music Publisher working at the Brill Building.

THE DRIFTERS: An African American singing group comprising of 4 members.

THE SHIRELLES: An African American female singing group comprising of 4 members.

THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS: An American male singing duo. They sing the song that gives Barry and Cynthia their first number 1.

GENIE KLEIN: Carole’s Jewish mother. Once an aspiring playwright, she has been broken down by life and her husband’s infidelity. Protective of Carole and unforgiving of her husband’s mistakes.

content warning

Talk of infidelity, talk about the use of drugs, talk of teenage pregnancy

the creative team

Carole King (Words & Music)

Pop music would be very different without the contributions of Carole King, who wrote her first #1 hit at age 17 with Gerry Goffin, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” for the Shirelles. The dozens of chart hits Goffin and King wrote during this period became legendary, but it was 1971’s Tapestry that took King to the pinnacle, speaking personally to her contemporaries and providing a spiritual musical backdrop to the decade. More than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles and 6 Grammys.

Barry Mann (Words & Music)

Barry Mann has written the melodies of some of the most influential pop songs in musical history. In addition to “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” most played song of the last century, and the songs heard in Beautiful, he has composed later standards like “Somewhere Out There” (winner of 2 Grammys), “Here You Come Again,”

“Sometimes When We Touch,” “Just Once” and “Don’t Know Much.” Together, he and Cynthia Weil have amassed an incredible 112 pop, country and R&B awards from Broadcast Music Inc. for significant radio air play. He has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

Cynthia Weil (Words & Music)

Cynthia Weil is known as the lyricist of classic songs such as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”, most played song of the 20th century. In addition to the songs heard in Beautiful, she has set the words to later standards like “Somewhere Out There,” “Here You Come Again,” “He’s So Shy,” “Just Once,” and “Don’t Know Much” to name just a few. Weil has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, honored with multiple Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards for “Somewhere Out There” as Motion Picture Song of the Year and Song of the Year.

Gerry Goffin (Words & Music)

Born in Brooklyn in 1939, Gerry Goffin met Carole King at Queens College, and their musical collaboration began almost immediately. They married in 1959, and that same year wrote their first hit song “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” (The Shirelles). The duo penned over fifty Top 40 hits including “The Locomotion,” “Natural Woman,” and “Up On The Roof.” In 1987, Goffin and King were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Goffin has left an indelible mark on American music.

Douglas McGrath (Book)

Douglas McGrath is a filmmaker, playwright and essayist. His films include Emma, Nicholas Nickleby, Company Man and Infamous. He was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay of Bullets Over Broadway. He has made two documentaries for HBO: His Way, about the legendary music promoter and movie producer Jerry Weintraub, and Becoming Mike Nichols for which he received an Emmy nomination. His book for Beautiful was nominated for the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Awards. His other plays include his adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence and Checkers. His essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Air Mail.

FUN FACTS

• Beautiful premiered in San Francisco before going to Broadway.

• The real Carole King had a complicated relationship with the show, but is now a fan.

• Sisters Jessie and Abby Mueller have both played Carole King.

• At James Madison High School, Carol Klein changed her name to Carole King and made demo records with her then friend Paul Simon, the future half of Simon and Garfunkel.

• In 1971 King released Tapestry. The album was #1 on the Billboard Charts for 15 weeks and remained on the list for more than six years.

dock street theatre

For almost 300 years audiences have delighted in performances at the Historic Dock Street Theatre which stands on the site of the very first theatre building in America which opened its doors in 1736. The current building, originally The Planter’s Hotel was built in 1803 and in 1937 was converted into the Dock Street Theatre know today. Charleston Stage presents over 150 performances at the Historic Dock Street Theatre playing to theatre goers from every state in the union and many foreign countries. The Dock Street Theatre, newly renovated in 2010, is currently owned and managed by the City of Charleston. Other performing arts groups including Spoleto Festival USA perform here annually.

On February 12, 1736 the Dock Street Theatre opened with a performance of The Recruiting Officer. Built on the corner of Church Street and Dock Street (now known as Queen Street), the Historic Dock Street Theatre was the first building in America built exclusively to be used for theatrical performances. Flora, the first opera performance in America, took place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre.

The original Dock Street Theatre was probably destroyed by the Great Fire of 1740 which destroyed many of the buildings in Charleston’s French Quarter. In 1809, the Planter’s Hotel was built on this site and in 1835 the wrought iron balcony and sandstone columns of the Church Street facade were added. A number of notable persons worked and patronized the Planter’s Hotel including the noted 19th Century actor Junius Brutus Booth (father of Edwin and John Wilkes Booth). Robert Smalls, an African-American Civil War hero, who stole a steamboat in the harbor and sailed it out past the Confederate-held Ft. Sumter and turned it over to the blockading Union Fleet, served as a waiter in the hotel’s dining room prior to the war. Charleston’s famed Planter’s Punch was first introduced here.

After the Civil War, the Planter’s Hotel fell into disrepair and was slated for demolition. But in 1935, after Milton Pearlstine made the property available to the City of Charleston and at the urging of Mayor Burnet Maybank and other notable citizens, the original building became a Depression Era WPA (Works Progress Administration) project. At that time, the present theatre was constructed within the shell of the

Planter’s Hotel. The hotel’s grand foyer became the grand foyer of the theatre and the hotel’s dining room now serves as the box office lobby. The beautiful woodwork and mantels of the second floor drawing room were salvaged from the Radcliffe-King Mansion (circa 1799) which stood at the corner of George and Meeting Streets and was razed to build the College of Charleston gymnasium, another WPA project. Modeled on eighteenth century London playhouses by Charleston architect Albert Simons, the present Dock Street Theatre’s new stage house and auditorium were built in the hotel’s courtyard. The local carpenters who were put to work as a part of this Depression era relief effort utilized locally grown and milled native black cypress for the beautiful warm wooden interior. Following this $350,000 renovation, The Historic Dock Street Theatre’s second grand opening took place on November 26, 1937. Notables in the audience included author DuBose Heyward (Porgy) who was named writer-inresidence.

The Historic Dock Street Theatre reopened for the third time on March 18, 2010 after a three year, $19 million dollar renovation by the City of Charleston. This extensive fullscale renovation brought the historic theatre into the 21st century with state-of-theart lighting and sound, modern heating and air conditioning, and new restrooms and seating. In addition, the theatre was made seismically secure and fully handicapped accessible. Extensive sound-proofing was added to ensure that outside noises no longer intruded on performances inside.

Theatre Education

Acting Classes

200+ Students Attend Acting Classes

After School

Charleston Stage’s TheatreSchool offers classes year round for students from kindergarten through high school at Charleston Stage’s West Ashley Theatre Center. Acting classes for students of all ages and abilities are taught by members of Charleston Stage’s Professional Resident Acting Company. Classes range from beginning classes to performance workshops and performance troupes. We are now offering a new full-year registration. Tuition scholarships are available for need-based students. Register online today at CharlestonStage.com/Education!

ArtReach In-School Workshops

Bringing Professional Actors Into the Classroom

Charleston Stage’s Professional Resident Actors provide dynamic workshops in area schools throughout the Lowcountry. Workshops use theatrical skills to teach academic subjects and can be combined with a school matinee performance experience. For information on booking ArtReach workshops, contact Rylee Coppel, Director of Education and Engagement, at rcoppel@charlestonstage.com or (843) 225-3900.

TheatreWings High School Apprenticeships

A Tuition-Free Apprentice Program For Teens

The TheatreWings High School Apprentice Program is designed to allow talented young people the opportunity to work directly with theatre professionals and gain first-hand experience in professional theatrical production. Students explore stage management, lighting and sound, as well as set, prop, and costume design and construction. Designed for highly dedicated students, TheatreWings requires more than 100+ hours of apprenticeship each season. For more information, email TheatreWings Co-Coordinators Ravyn Meador or Caleb Garner at wings@charlestonstage.com.

For more information on our Education programs, call the Education Office at (843) 225-3900 or visit CharlestonStage.com/Education.