By Broadway Live INSIDER - Michael J. Miller

When life doesn’t go the way you want, you find something beautiful.

For six years, BEAUTIFUL, the Tony and Grammy Award winning musical, thrilled Broadway audiences with the inspiring true story of one woman’s remarkable journey from teenage songwriter to a spot on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Tonight, just one month after closing on Broadway, the glorious musical began a triumphant weekend engagement before a mesmerized capacity crowd at the Lexington Opera House to open the 2019-2020 Broadway Live season.

BEAUTIFUL is quite simply a delight! Carole King “wrote the soundtrack to a generation”, and this hit parade of her greatest songs sounds like heaven.

The journey follows the timeline from the sale of her first song, at age 16, to her breakthrough solo album, “Tapestry”, to her first concert performance in front of an audience at Carnegie Hall, perfectly recreated here in the breathtaking and rapturous finale.

Kennedy Caughell’s portrayal of King is a powerhouse. Caughell is enduring as she embodies the teenage songwriter early in her career when we see her harmonizing with her writing partner and one-time husband Gerry Goffin (recreated here by an equally talented James D. Gish).

In the second act, we are transfixed as the young songstress transforms into a strong woman destined for greatness. The sets, lighting, costumes, and large ensemble of singers and dancers are an astounding recreation of the original that wowed New York audiences for years. It is a pleasure to experience a National Tour so fresh and true to the Broadway production.

Tickets for this five-show run were nearly sold out over a month before tonight’s opening, no doubt due to strong word of mouth from patrons who fell in love with it during its previous engagements in Louisville and Cincinnati. 

Broadway Live could not have asked for a more beautiful opening to its marquee season.

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INSIDER TIP: At press time, there are a few tickets remaining for the rest of the run, with best availability for the Sunday 6:30 pm performance. ​​​​