Alison Whitehurst News

As BEAUTIFUL returns to Dallas, it is immediately clear that the musical has lost none of its freshness, remaining just as much of a rousing hit as it was when it first toured in the area several years ago.

BWW Review: Beautiful:The Carole King Musical

Albuquerque will be feeling the 'earth move' under their feet as Beautiful The Carole King Musical will play at Popejoy Hall June 12-16.

Centered around Carole King's life and biography, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is an appropriate cap to The American Theatre Guild's 2018-2019 season. This first national tour is filled with well-rounded, talented performers from all over the United States, including members who have been a part of the company for three years or more. Though the script itself for this pseudo jukebox musical may be a bit lacking compared to favored classics such as Cinderella, seen earlier in the season, the individual vocal and acting abilities are worth paying full ticket price.

n the realm of jukebox bio-musicals, BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL is probably better than most. And a lot of that has to do with King's rich repertoire of music, not to mention the fact that her story runs parallel to the story of the songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Their collective mark on pop music is undeniable. King began her songwriting career at the age of 16 in the hallowed halls of an office building located at 1650 Broadway, a music warehouse of sorts located just blocks away from the infamous Brill Building. In 2013, Weil told The New Yorker that the rents were cheaper at 1650 Broadway than in the Brill Building and newer publishers, like Aldon Music, had their offices there. Weil describes the Aldon Music office as having four cubicles wherein she and her writing/life partner Mann, along with King and her writing partner and husband at the time Jerry Goffin, all worked. The foursome became friends and even vacationed together. But in 1968, King moved from New York to Los Angeles, divorced Goffin, and began her solo career. Her solo album Tapestry sold over 25-million copies worldwide, won four Grammy Awards, and has been hailed as one of top albums of all time. Shortly after Tapestry was released in 1971, King played Carnegie Hall, which is where the musical BEAUTIFUL begins and ends.

BEAUTIFUL rolls out of town, but USC and Trustus raise the curtain on their next shows!

Workshop closes OTHER DESERT CITIES and BEAUTIFUL rolls into town for a weeklong stay at the Koger Center!

You don't even have go in a fan to enjoy Beautiful: The Carole King Musical but once you are at The Fabulous Fox and are reminded of all one woman has accomplished in a lifetime of singer/songwriting, you just may go out humming her entire body of work.

Alison Whitehurst was born in Sugar Land, Texas. The daughter of a professional pianist, she was exposed to music at a very early age, tagging along and watching her father play gigs from backstage. She would often sit and experiment with him at the piano and played herself for nine years. After her parents divorce, Whitehurst transferred to a new middle school. Her mother recommended she sign up for a theatre class to help her make friends. She was cast in her first musical in eighth grade, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and thought to herself, 'wait a second! I'm going to sing AND do this fun new theatre thing at the same time?!' She continued on through high school and never looked back, earning a BFA in Theatre Performance from Texas Christian University. Whitehurst is currently on tour as Cynthia Weil in BEAUTIFUL - THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL. I had the chance to chat with her just prior to the tour's stop in Montreal.

The North American tour of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning hit musical Beautiful- The Carole King Musical welcomes Dylan S. Wallach (Gerry Goffin) and Alison Whitehurst (Cynthia Weil). The two artists join Sarah Bockel (Carole King), Jacob Heimer (Barry Mann), James Clow (Don Kirshner) and Suzanne Grodner (Genie Klein). Beautiful - The Carole King Musical will return to St. Louis at the Fabulous Fox Theatre on March 12, 2019 for a limited engagement through March 17, 2019.

I was invited to the opening night performance of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, the hit Broadway show celebrating the life and music of Carole King. The show is infused with many number one hits of the era, written by King (Elise Vannerson) and her husband, Gerry Goffin (Ben Biggers), including 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', 'Some Kind of Wonderful' and 'The Locomotion'. In addition, King and Goffin had some intense competition through their friends and rivals, Cynthia Weil (Alison Whitehurst) and Barry Mann (Jacob Heimer). Weil and Mann's musical contributions include equally successful songs, such as 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling', which remains, to this day, the song with the most airplay on American radio. King's biographical journey takes the audience from her humble beginnings as a smarty-pants, sheltered teenager from Brooklyn - whose mother wants her to teach music rather than write it - to a sensational musical hit making machine, together with Goffin. Despite their success, it wasn't all sunshine and roses and King's struggles echo those of many working parents trying to find a work-life balance. King longs for a suburban house and traditional family but her husband wants to experience the showbiz life and becomes less and less interested in family life (not to mention, monogamy). King, battling self-esteem issues, ultimately finds the courage to break out on her own. This liberation results in her moving to California and releasing the Grammy award winning album, Tapestry. The show ends on a high note, with King at her piano at Carnegie Hall, celebrating her well-deserved success.

With a stellar cast and fantastic costumes and sets, 'Beautiful' serves as the perfect escape into a world of fun, music, and sentimentality. It's a lovely show with an empowering message, and you'll walk out ready to turn back around and see it again. Or, at the very least, go home and play the cast album and King's 'Tapestry' on repeat.

There is a reason bio-musicals and jukebox tales are so popular. There is a nostalgia and comfort in knowing the music and the people that allows an audience to give themselves over to the magic of theatre. I've found audiences more susceptible to suspension of disbelief if there is an element of the familiar - like an historical figure or famous artist. It then becomes the task of the production to take that malleable group and create a story with meaning.

The acclaimed Broadway smash hit Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, makes a triumphant return to Washington, D.C. for the upcoming holiday season. This Tony and Grammy Award winner comes to the National Theatre for 5 weeks only from November 27 thru December 30, 2018.

BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL – this hit musical takes the life and music of Carole King and weaves the songs with the triumphs and the heartbreak of her life to create a, shall we say beautiful, musical about finding success in embracing yourself and your voice. 

Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 21 for the National Theatre's "Broadway at the National" performances of SCHOOL OF ROCK - THE MUSICAL (Jan. 16 - 27, 2019), FINDING NEVERLAND (Feb. 26 - Mar. 3, 2019), A BRONX TALE (Mar. 26 - 31, 2019), STOMP (Apr. 23 - 28, 2019), and Jim Steinman's BAT OUT OF HELL (May 7 - 26, 2019).

Casting has been announced for the triumphant return to Washington, D.C. of the Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning Broadway smash hit BEAUTIFUL - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter. BEAUTIFUL is onstage at the National Theatre for a 5-week run during the holiday season from November 27 thru December 30, 2018.

Casting has been announced for the triumphant return to Washington, D.C. of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway smash hit Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter. BEAUTIFUL is onstage at the National Theatre for a 5-week run during the holiday season from November 27 thru December 30, 2018.

Throughout history, performance artists have become staples in pop culture, many of which can rightfully claim "icon" status. However, aside from music performance, songwriting has long been an underrated quality in the music industry. Even if songwriters become notable performers, it is not always widely known that they have written, and continue to write, for other top artists. Such is the case of Carole King, as told by Beautiful, The Carole King Musical. 

The North American tour of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical will welcome Dylan S. Wallach (Gerry Goffin) and Alison Whitehurst (Cynthia Weil) beginning September 4 in Denver, CO. The two artists join Sarah Bockel (Carole King), Jacob Heimer (Barry Mann), James Clow (Don Kirshner) and Suzanne Grodner (Genie Klein).