Carole King musical offers nostalgia and levity

Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. has aptly chosen to kick off its 21st season, a celebration of barrier-breaking women, with the lighthearted, boomer-bait jukebox musical “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”

If you aren’t familiar with the production, which debuted on Broadway in 2014, familiar music punctuates the mostly true story of King’s early life. We see timid Brooklyn, New York, teenager Carole Klein push her way into the office of Aldon Music, known for its AM radio “teenybopper” love songs that invented girl groups like the Shirelles and made stars out of bubblegum-pop performers such as Neil Sedaka and Little Eva.

King meets her creative partner and future husband, the bipolar philanderer Gerry Goffin. Together, they write numerous teen pop songs for “star-maker” Don Kirshner that rise to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The pair develops a competitive friendship with composer Barry Mann and lyricist Cynthia Weil, who wrote such ‘60s classics as “On Broadway” for the Drifters and “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” for the Righteous Brothers. 

As their marriage disintegrates due to Goffin’s philandering, the duo writes breakthrough hits such as “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday” before the newly divorced King moves to Los Angeles to become the pioneering musical artist she is today.

I listened to King’s “Tapestry” album on the way to the sold-out opening-night performance and thought, “That voice … who are they going to get to play King? How are they going to pull this off?” But the mighty Peppermint Creek is the little theater that could. Under the leadership of director Meghan Eldred-Woolsey, music director Zach Everly and choreographer Amanda Tollstam, this well-orchestrated production (there’s actually an orchestra on stage under the set) never misses a beat.

Caila Conklin is perfect in the title role as the determined yet unworldly King. As the show progresses, she evolves to embrace some of King’s fem-power persona. Her voice, although not identical to King’s, contains some of the same clarity and intimate melancholy as the singer-songwriter. 

You can’t help but smile when the talented Xia Skowronek, as Cynthia Weil, skillfully belts out song after song. Her teary goodbye to King during “You’ve Got a Friend” had me reaching for my tissues. As Goffin, Lewis Elson makes use of his wondrously rakish eyebrows and melodious voice. His portrayal of the heartbreak and claustrophobia of Goffin’s childhood in “Up on the Roof” is inspired.

Other amazing performances that lend this production credibility include Adam Woolsey as the delightfully neurotic Barry Mann, especially his soulful performance of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”; Janell Hall as the imperious lead Shirelle; Ny’Kieria Blocker as the composite character Janelle Woods, played with glittering sex appeal; Ayden Soupal as crooner Neil Sedaka; Prince Spann as the lead Drifter; and Kyleigh Burtley as “The Loco-Motion” artist Little Eva.

This feel-good, nostalgic musical should not be missed — if not to admire the early struggles and ultimate triumph of an inspiring female performer, then to enjoy the familiar songs of her playbook that helped define a generation.