Reviews

Early in "Beautiful," the heartfelt new Carole King musical on Broadway, the title character is desperately trying to sell the song "It Might as Well Rain Until September," just by banging it out on the piano. "There should be strings here like raindrops falling," Jessie Mueller's King says.

Watching Beautiful, the new jukebox musical celebrating the remarkable life and work of Carole King, you may not feel the earth move under your feet. But the new Broadway show emerges as a slick and joyous celebration of female empowerment.

Here is arguably the nicest, most normal, least eccentric personality ever to be at the center of a Broadway musical. "Beautiful" is the show for theatergoers who don't like drama queens. Is there such an animal?

The Carole King jukebox musical is predictable, but its lead delivers a star turn.

Beautiful--The Carole King Musical shares several virtues with its titular singer-songwriter, among them humility, earnestness and dedication to craft.

The author of stone-cold boomer classics like “One Fine Day,” “The Loco-Motion” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” pop genius Carole...

This friendly, formulaic bio-musical traces the singer-songwriter’s bumpy road to stardom, song by song by song.

A tapestry that droops.

It’s hardly a surprise that the songs in “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical” are some kind of wonderful. Too bad a great musical isn’t only about the music.

Jessie Mueller delivers a transformative performance as the chart-topping music legend in an engaging new musical.

Jessie Mueller plays the singer-songwriter who stepped out in the early '70s from behind the scenes to become one of the signature female voices of that decade.

Before we get to what’s wrong with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Stephen Sondheim, let’s establish what’s so right that it instantly joins the ranks of irresistible jukebox tuners Jersey Boys, Motown The Musical, Mamma Mia and Rock of Ages. In other words, it should have a long and healthy run, if, that is, the producers can either convince Jessie Mueller to remain in the title role forever or, failing that, if they can find replacements as enormously talented as she is and as cannily cast.