Photo Flash: Carole King Surprises the Cast of BEAUTIFUL With a Performance and Curtain Call

Yesterday, rock and roll icon Carole King surprised the audience at Beautiful, by taking the stage of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre as the hit musical celebrates its fifth anniversary on Broadway.

For the first time in the show's history, King stepped into the role of herself and performed the show's final moment which recreates her now iconic 1971 Carnegie Hall concert and sang "Beautiful" at the piano. When the stunned audience recognized the music legend, they immediately leapt to their feet with many singing along.

King then joined the cast during the curtain call, making her bow alongside Chilina Kennedy, who plays the role of Carole. After King and the cast performed the show's encore number, "I Feel The Earth Move," she took a moment to thank the audience for helping make Beautiful a worldwide phenomenon.

Check out photos of the iconic moment, plus backstage photos of King with the cast, below!

Carole King said, "What a night! It was amazing to be a part of this. This musical has been such a magical experience. To be here and celebrate our fifth anniversary with so much joy and love is amazing."

Producers Paul Blake and Mike Bosner said, "We were thrilled to have Carole join us last night to celebrate five years of Beautiful. This show has been an experience unlike any other. Our eternal gratitude to Douglas McGrath, Marc Bruni, and the entire creative team, cast, and crew who have entertained, excited, and enchanted over 2,000,000 people on Broadway."

Beautiful opened on Broadway on January 13, 2014 and went on to become a Tony®, Olivier®, and Grammy® Award-winning smash hit having been seen by almost 2,200,000 people and cumulative gross on Broadway of almost $250,000,000. The show is the longest-running and highest-grossing show in the history of the Sondheim Theatre.

Acclaimed productions have played London, Japan, Australia, and toured the United Kingdom. The North American tour is celebrating its third anniversary of sold out runs across the continent and is currently playing at Philadelphia's Academy of Music.

Kennedy recently joined the cast which includes Evan Todd as Gerry Goffin, Kate Reinders as Cynthia Weil, Ben Jacoby as Barry Mann, Paul Anthony Stewartas Don Kirshner, Tony Award nominee Liz Larsen as Genie Klein, and an 18-person ensemble.

With a book by Tony and Academy® Award nominee McGrath, direction by Bruni, and choreography by Josh Prince, Beautiful features a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil.

For five years, Beautiful, the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Carole King musical, has thrilled Broadway with the inspiring true story of one woman's remarkable journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.