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Carole King's career explored in 'Beautiful' at DPAC

While Carole King's music is well known, not many people know the story behind those famous songs.

Posted 2019-05-06T17:59:20+00:00 - Updated 2019-05-07T12:00:00+00:00

Sarah Bockel (“Carole King”)
Photo courtesy of "Beautiful"

Kathy Hanrahan, Out

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While Carole King's music is well known, not many people know the story behind those famous songs.

"Beautiful: The Carole King Musical," which plays Durham Performing Arts Center this week, explores the singer's career.

Then known as Carol Klein, she pitched her first song to record executives when she was a teenager.

"She started at 16 years old with a dream of wanting to be a songwriter," said Alison Whitehurst, who plays Cynthia Weil in the show. Weil, along with her husband and songwriting partner, Barry Mann, became good friends with King.

Four Friends. (l to r) Sarah Bockel (“Carole King”), Alison Whitehurst (“Cynthia Weil”), Jacob Heimer
(“Barry Mann”) and Dylan S. Wallach (“Gerry Goffin”)

Photo courtesy of "Beautiful" — Four Friends. (l to r) Sarah Bockel (“Carole King”), Alison Whitehurst (“Cynthia Weil”), Jacob Heimer (“Barry Mann”) and Dylan S. Wallach (“Gerry Goffin”) Photo courtesy of "Beautiful"

King wrote her first number one hit ("Will You Love Me Tomorrow”) at the age of 17 with her husband and songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin. The two went on to write hits including “Take Good Care of My Baby," “The Loco-Motion," “Up On The Roof," "One Fine Day” and "Hey Girl."

The show also charts King's work as a solo artist.

"You get to follow Carole King's journey as what it is to be a woman and a professional and stand up for what she deserves," Whitehurst said.

Weil and King's friendship is also explored. Weil and Mann are credited with writing hits including "On Broadway," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place."

"The musical takes place as these two competing friends and colleagues just churn out hit after hit after hit," Whitehurst said.

Whitehurst prepared for the role by watching YouTube interviews of Weil and Mann, who have been married for more than 50 years.

"What makes Cynthia so great is that she knows what she brings to the table," she said. "She's intelligent and smart."

Expect to hear King's hits including “I Feel The Earth Move,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and “You’ve Got A Friend."

"True Carole King fans are going to leave thrilled," Whitehurst said. "People who don't think they know this music are going to leave saying, "I didn't know Carole King wrote that song.'"

The story itself is universal.

"It's about young people following their dreams," Whitehurst said.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical plays DPAC Tuesday through Sunday. A limited number of $30 seats are available via an online lottery for each performance.