Beautiful is a jukebox musical that tells the story of the early life and career of Carole King - one of the most significant and influential musicians of all time - and to say this is a show with a pedigree for brilliant music is possibly the biggest understatement of the year.
The production charts King's life from her very first hit single, written at the age of 16, to her first solo concert at Carnegie Hall in 1971. The Broadway production is the recipient of two Tony's and a Grammy, whilst the London run took home two Olivier awards.
The first thing that stood out - and the big difference between Beautiful and so many other jukebox shows - is the quality of the source material. Carole King is a presence which defined popular music in a way that many other composers and performers can only dream of. Her songs narrated generations and were some of the most popular ever conceived.
Carole King is the most successful female American songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century, having written or co-written 118 hit singles between 1955 and 1999. 61 of her songs charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1952 and 2005.
Furthermore, her second album, 'Tapestry', topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks and remained on the charts for more than six years, holding the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her combined records sales are estimated at more than 75 million worldwide. She's won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her songwriting.
This production of Beautiful is completely refreshed from previous tours. The set and the overall staging has a totally different feel with a much raw, edgier and fuller sound than the last UK tour. If I'm honest, some parts of the set looked awesome and others I felt weren't as clean cut or effective as previous run's, but what was apparent was that the overall aesthetic had a lot more drama and dimension to it and that was appreciated by the audience.
In fact, talking of appreciation, this production of Beautiful is, quite simply, stunning and top of my list for receipt of applause are the exquisite cast.
In fact it seems almost callous to single out individuals, but from the very first bar of the very first song, Molly-Grace Cutler's interpretation of Carole King gave her a perfect vehicle to showcase her immense talent. Her command of the stage meant you couldn't take your eyes off her and her vocals this evening were flawless. Taking some of the most famous songs in the world and owning them like she did this evening is a skill that few can master.
With a brilliant chemistry between Cutler and, in particular, Tom Milner (Gerry Goffin), there wasn't an ounce of intimidation as she got her pipes around hits including 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', 'Up On The Roof' and '(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman'.
Every inch the star, Cutler and Milner lead a stunning cast in an equally stunning production with a soundtrack to die for and an uplifting storyline which doesn't attempt to be anything more than a nostalgic look-back at the life and work of a superstar.
Absolutely one of the best shows touring the UK at the moment.
Beautiful plays at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 3rd September. For more information, or to get your tickets, head online to birminghamhipporome.com.
