Interview: Ximone Rose Says BEAUTIFUL - THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL Will Make You Feel Good When It Arrives at the Fisher Theatre!

Beautiful - the Carole King Musical will make its Detroit premiere at the Fisher Theatre from December 13th to January 8th. The Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical is about early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter filled with the songs she wrote like "I Feel the Earth Move," "One Fine Day," and the title song. "The music she wrote is so timeless and this show is like a concert in a way with the people singing along," said Ximone Rose. "It's a very feel good show and people just love it type of musical."

"Simply, Beautiful is about Carole King and how she came into her own has a songwriter," said Rose. "It also is about the things in her life that got her there." Long before she was Carole King, a chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, a Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah - Beautiful is that story. It is the true story about her fighting to get into the music business and how she became one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. And along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation with songs like "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "You've Got A Friend."

New Orleans native, Rose grew up around music. Her father is a musician and she went to a partnership arts high school, but after evaluating colleges, she decided University of Michigan is where she needed to be. "I loved what they said in their mission statement and it seemed like a really nurturing, awesome environment. Their stress on the importance of piano and theory are really important to me, so I wanted to go there," she said. "It was the absolute best decision of my life minus the weather because I cannot stand Michigan winters, which are, as everyone knows, the majority of the academic school year." After college, Rose went on to do regional endeavors along with different readings and workshops and then she landed the Beautiful national tour.

Rose is a swing in Beautiful and it is something she has never done before, but she is having the time of her life. "I am responsible for knowing six different tracks in the show," she said. "Last week, I did three of them in one weekend. It can be kind of challenge; you are on stage and are like okay who am I today? I've definitely been on the side and thought 'oh my god I don't have my glasses on' and then realize that I'm not that person. It's so much fun and really rewarding. It's also nice to know that it is a skill that I can do."

"I've visited Michigan since graduating and hopefully, if it's not crazy with snow I'll make to the Arb, which it probably will be," said Rose. Teachers and friends are on her list along with the Jolly Pumpkin, Sava, and Zingerman's if she can.

Rose's response when asked why someone should come see Beautiful? "Because it has such a good message," she said. "The ending song talks about waking up every morning and knowing that you are beautiful. How could you not want to sit someplace where someone is going to tell you that?"

Please note: Ximone Rose will be on the for the role of Lucille (the secretary, who sings lead on "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow") during the first week of the run of Beautiful - the Carole King Musical in Detroit.

Beautiful - the Carole King Musical runs from December 13th to January 8th at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. For more information or tickets, visit www.BroadwayInDetroit.com.

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