Cast and Creative Team Set for BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Gulfshore Playhouse

Gulfshore Playhouse has revealed the full cast, creative team, and live musicians for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, running April 26-May 31, 2026, on the Moran Mainstage at the Baker Theatre and Education Center. This Broadway hit tells the inspiring true story of Carole King - from teenage songwriter to chart-topping solo artist - featuring timeless songs including “I Feel the Earth Move,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “One Fine Day.”

The Gulfshore Playhouse production will be directed by Matt Lenz, whose extensive Broadway and National Tour credits include Hairspray, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Sound of Music, and The Music Man (slated to run at Artis-Naples simultaneously as Beautiful). Lenz previously collaborated with Gulfshore Playhouse on the production of The Fox on the Fairway in 2012 and brings a sweeping yet intimate lens to this story of artistic courage and self-discovery.

Choreography will be by Gulfshore Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Dann Dunn, whose work on productions such as Sweet Charity, White Christmas, and other Moran Mainstage musicals has electrified audiences with period authenticity and dynamic Broadway style.

Music Direction will be by Lon Hoyt, a celebrated conductor and arranger whose Broadway and National Tour credits include Jersey Boys, Beautiful, and School of Rock. Hoyt leads a powerhouse live band, with John Conway serving as Assistant Music Director.

Leading the cast of Beautiful is Julia Bain (National Tour of Waitress) as Carole King, portraying the young songwriter whose talent and tenacity reshaped popular music; Zachary Freier-Harrison (1st National Tour of Tina) as Gerry Goffin, King’s early collaborator and husband whose partnership fueled many chart-topping hits; Madison Claire Parks (Broadway National Tour of Wicked) as Cynthia Weil, the sharp-witted and stylish songwriter whose career ran parallel to King’s; and Oliver Prose (Broadway’s New York, New York) as Barry Mann, the energetic and brilliant composer who, alongside Weil, formed one of the era’s most celebrated songwriting teams, penning iconic hits including “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “On Broadway.”

Additional cast members portray legendary groups including The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Righteous Brothers, and more – bringing the unforgettable soundtrack of a generation to life.

Rounding out the Cast is Abe Goldfarb, Rachel Coloff, Gia Marino, Jack Mastrianni, Sean William Davis, Jacquez Linder-Long, Torrey Linder, Reggie Bromell, Jamonté D. Bruten, Tiffany Frances, Candace Haynes, Tiana Marie Williams, Sydney Archibald, Caiti Marlowe, Gavin Blonda, Jillian A. Smith, Daniel Jerome Hurt, and Kianna Kelly-Futch.