The Fifth Anniversary performance of Beautiful –The Carole King Musical had a truly memorable surprise for the audience — Carole King stepped on stage and sang with the cast.
The rock and roll icon went on stage of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre as the hit musical celebrates its fifth anniversary on Broadway. This took place on Saturday, Jan. 12.
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 leaped to their feet with many singing along to the anthem of female strength and self-worth with tears in their eyes.
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.
“What a night! It was amazing to be a part of this,” Carole King said. “This musical has been such a magical experience. To be here and celebrate our fifth anniversary with so much joy and love is amazing.”
“We were thrilled to have Carole join us last night to celebrate five years of Beautiful,” said producers Paul Blake and Mike Bosner. “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. Additionally, Beautiful is the only show still running from the 2013-2014 Broadway season.
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 Stewart as 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.
From the string of pop classics she wrote for the biggest acts in music to her own life-changing, chart-busting success with Tapestry, Beautiful takes you back to where it all began – and takes you on the ride of a lifetime.
Featuring over two dozen pop classics, including “You’ve Got a Friend,” “One Fine Day,” “Up on the Roof,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” and “Natural Woman,” this crowd-pleasing international phenomenon is filled with the songs you remember – and a story you’ll never forget.
The creative team of Beautiful also includes Derek McLane (Set Design), Alejo Vietti (Costume Design), Peter Kaczorowski (Lighting Design),Brian Ronan (Sound Design), Charles G. LaPointe (Wig and Hair Design), Steve Sidwell (Orchestrations and Music Arrangements), Jason Howland (Music Supervision), and John Miller (Music Coordination).
The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Ghostlight Records), the 2015 Grammy Award winner for Best Musical Theater Album, is available on CD, digitally, and on vinyl.
[Carole King surprises Broadway audience as “Beautiful” celebrates Fifth Anniversary at Stephen Sondheim Theatre on January 12, in New York City.]
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Music legend Carole King surprises a thrilledBroadway audience as “Beautiful” celebrates Fifth Anniversary at Stephen Sondheim Theatre on January 12, 2019, in New York City.
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