As jukebox musicals go, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a pretty darn good one and the production at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park through October 13 is a pretty darn good one, too.

While most jukebox musicals use a flimsy book as connecting material for a plethora of songs by a particular artist or genre, Beautiful has the advantage of having a genuinely interesting biography as its base and one helluva songbook.

It’s the story of the transformation of plucky 16-year-old college student Carole Joan Klein (Julianne Bretan) from future teacher-to-be to multi-award-winning singer/songwriter Carole King.

After selling a song to music impresario Donny Kirshner (Keith Baker), Carole connects with fellow college student and aspiring playwright Gerry Goffin (Noah Vondralee-Sternhill).  Goffin also dabbles in lyric writing and in no time flat, they’re collaborating. That collaboration leads to a daughter, a marriage, and a lot of hit songs.

Also in Kirshner’s orbit are Barry Mann (Drew Bolander) and Cynthia Weil (Tina Traboulsi). A friendship and competitive rivalry with King and Goffin ensue, with Mann and Weil’s story and songbook deserving of their own jukebox musical.

As one relationship grows, the other falters, and soon King is solo. Never one to see herself as an on-stage performer, King finally comes into her own with the release of her classic album Tapestries and its songs “So Far Away”, “It’s Too Late”, “You’ve Got a Friend”, and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Women”.

King and Goffin wrote a lot of the familiar hits of the 60s, and those numbers are interspersed throughout the story with appearances by such groups as the Shirelles (Kellie Donnelly, Aja Gianola, Simoné Mosely), the Drifters (Jim Frankie Banks, Daniel Marchbanks, Malik Charles Wade I, Phillip Percy Williams) and the Righteous Brothers (Malcom March, Michael Arbitter) with performances of such songs as “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”, “On Broadway”, and “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”.

Director Sheri Lee Miller no doubt had her hands full casting a show this diverse and has a nice blend of North Bay regulars with talent from throughout the Bay Area.

Bretan is perfectly cast as King, convincingly portraying the transformation from teen to mature, independent woman. Vondralee-Sternhill is equally strong as the troubled Goffin, and both deliver crisp vocal work. As do Bolander and Traboulsi, with Traboulsi in particular continuing to impress with her work on local stages. A lot of the show’s humor comes from these two characters, and both performers display significant comedic chops.

Humorous support is also provided by North Bay veterans Baker as Kirshner and Mary Gannon Graham as King’s not-very-supportive-until-she-is mother Genie.

Lucas Sherman leads a dynamic but (thankfully) not overpowering nine-piece on-stage band and does the heavy lifting with his keyboard work.

Choreography was a big part of early 60s musical acts and choreographer Karen Miles puts the ensemble to work in recreating those movements with somewhat mixed results. While the ensemble’s work is generally strong (with a slight edge given to the work by the ladies), it could stand to tighten up over the show’s run.  

It’s also nice to see Phillip Percy Williams back on stage.

Despite some clunky expository dialogue and one curious omission (Where the heck is James Taylor?), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a very pleasant trip down musical memory lane.

‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ runs through October 13 in the Codding Theater at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $12 – $42. 707.588.3400. spreckelsonline.com 

Photos by Jeff Thomas

This review originally appeared in an edited version in the North Bay Bohemian.