Written by orange• February 12, 2025• 12:58 am• Brea, Musical, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

Curtis Theatre & Southgate Productions present BEAUTIFUL the Carole King Musical @ Curtis Theatre – Review

photo credit: Austin Bauman

Written by Patrick Chavis

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is playing now at the Curtis Theatre Feb 7 – 23, 2025.

Curtis Theatre and Southgate Productions put on a jukebox musical with a beating heart and performed it oh… so… beautifully. Boasting some of Orange County’s upcoming musical talent, this was undeniably one of the best musicals to come out of the Curtis in years.

Story:

Beautiful chronicles particular parts of Carole King’s (Katie Perry Page) life. She is known as one of the most prolific pop composers of the 20th century. Through the musical, we watch her ascent from a successful pop composer to a solo act while following her relationship with her first husband, Gerry Goffin (Nick Lunetta), as well as their friendship and songwriting competitiveness with friends Cynthia Weil (Danielle Heaton) and Barry Mann (Brandon Sanchez).

Let’s be honest, the motivation for putting on jukebox musicals is an excuse to indulge in the music we love. What’s wrong with that? Absolutely nothing! That being said, when you can do that and tie it to a cohesive, strong, and relatable narrative, well, baby, you’ve got a hit! The Carole King musical provides an excellent structure to go through all of these hit songs, and who better to tell the story of these great hits than the composer who brought them to fruition?

The singing from this group ranges from good to exceptional, with many of the production’s leads falling into the latter category.

Set/Lighting/Band/Direction:

The set uses a lifted rafter in the background for various large numbers. Which is accented with glamorous light changes by lighting designer Heather Harless, using stage and hexagonal accents. Director Jonathan Infante’s correct use of blocking from stage left to stage right and the conventional but tried and proper techniques implemented did enough to get the story across. More importantly, they didn’t get in the way because this show shined in the performances, singing, and the band—oh yes, the band!

Acting:

Carole King sang “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman.” Katie Perry Page makes me feel like she was born to sing this role. She gives a phenomenal performance.

Brandon Sanchez and Danielle Heaton are comedic cocaine. Not the healthiest couple you’ve ever seen on stage, but they’re intoxicating –steam level, boiling.

Much of the drama in the script derives from the real-life shaky relationship between King and her late husband Gerry Goffin (Nick Lunetta). It’s not an easy feat to portray such a flawed character but also bring in the light, but Lunetta does both with no pretense.

Give all four actresses cast to play the Shirelles their own musical: Precious Montgomery, Bailey Alyssa Curtis, OCR Nominee Rezia Landers, and Sanlyn Carter. They bring youth, grace, and style every moment they’re on stage.

Music Director Gabrielle Maldonado left a mark to remember on the Curtis stage with groove and gusto, and the 11-piece ensemble practically brought the house down.

With such an outstanding presentation, I wish they would remove the spike tape from the floor. They’ve become an unnecessary trademark of the production company, which is great for rehearsals but not opening night.

What a fantastic way to celebrate the impact of Carole King’s music—on her actual birthday, no less. This is one to see, but get in soon; it’s a tragically short run.