Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Audience members who aren't familiar with the legendary songstress depicted in "Beautiful-The Carole King Musical" will be pleasantly surprised with her broad influences on popular music. From her behind the scenes offerings for 1960's musical acts such as The Drifters and The Shirelles to her solo work in the 1970's on, her work has left an indelible impression on those eras.

To this day, her iconic "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman," penned with her then husband Gerry Goffin and recorded by the likes of Peggy Lipton and Aretha Franklin, is an anthem for feminine empowerment. "Beautiful" would be remiss in not including it as the penultimate swan song for this delightful, multi-award-winning production.

"Beautiful-The Carole King Musical" is, essentially, a stage biography on the songwriter's life. However, it is not a precise telling, nor does it need to be. The radiant Abby Mueller bears a passing resemblance to the songwriter; her voice is just as lovely, if not more, and it is definitely stronger and more technically polished than Carole King's. Mueller does not attempt an impersonation, but her impression embodies her passion and pluck just the same.

The musical starts with Carol Klein as a 16-year-old Brooklyn girl with stars in her eyes and songs in her heart. It ends with Carole King as an insecure but resolute 30-year-old divorc�e at her famous Carnegie Hall performance in honor of her Grammy Award-winning "Tapestry." The two hours in between those two pivotal moments in her life demonstrate the impact her journey had on the landscape of pop and rock music.

Carole King is the subject, but she is not the only star of the show. The handsome Liam Tobin as Carole King's husband and songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin, has a glorious tenor that matches his charisma. Even when his cheating ways breaks her heart and when he succumbs to mental illness, he remains a sympathetic character.

King and Goffin have close friends and rivals in Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, played with vexatious joviality by Ben Fankhauser and Becky Gulsvig, respectively. The actors have chemistry and play off each other to good comedic effect. Particularly entertaining is when Weil humors Mann about his hypochondria, as well as their long-standing competition towards their friends.

They are no songwriting slouches. They're responsible for some of the most memorable songs of modern music. It is interesting to hear how songs might sound in their early stages. Weil advises Mann that the music he put to her lyrics needs to be in a lower key. Enter the Righteous Brothers, played by Andrew Brewer and John Michael Dias. Their rich baritone and tenor, respectively, lends an appropriate homage to their most popular song, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling."

Incidentally, the musical directors should have taken that same advice in Fankhouser's soulful performance of another classic, The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." His voice is strong in his full tenor sweet spot, but the high notes are a struggle for him as he pinches out those words with all his might. He may do better on other nights; it could just be opening night jitters that can contribute to vocal tightness.

The whole ensemble is chock full of talented singers and dancers, too many to mention here. The non-musical actors deserve mention, as well. Curt Bouril as their agent Donnie Kirshner is amusingly glib and mercenary. Suzanne Grodner plays Carole's mother as someone who is disgruntled about her own misfortune, but loving and supportive just the same.

Again, there is Abby Mueller. She is not just a singer who happens to act. She is an actress. Her performance is bare and honest from start to finish, and she sheds real tears that, amazingly, do not affect the quality of her voice. When she sings the anthemic lyrics her ex-husband wrote for her, the transformative pain and exultation are palpable.

The one problem with making opening night the press screening is that there may be kinks that need to be worked out. The reviewers would be remiss in not acknowledging them. The only real issue, at least in this performance, was the sound quality. Speaking and singing voices were uneven in spots. It appears the sound design was tweaked during the intermission, though. Sometimes it takes the environment provided by a full house to work through those technicalities.

It is a small flaw in a wonderful production that provides an overwhelmingly positive experience, which may leave a tear in your eye and a smile on your face.

As Mueller sings in the end, "You're gonna find, yes you will, that you're beautiful, as you feel."

"Beautiful-The Carole King Musical" runs through February 21, 2016 at the Oriental Theatre, 24 West Randolph, Chicago. For tickets or information, go to the Broadway In Chicago Box Offices, call Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at 800-775-2000, or visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.