Type – Music Theatre, Independent Theatre, Jukebox Musical
If you liked – Jersey Boys, Dream Lover, Shout
Beautiful: A knockout tapestry of talent
Hit shuffle on a playlist of the biggest hits of the 60s, or 70s, or 80s, and within a few songs you’ll hear a song written, or featuring Carole King, if not immediately. The multi-award-winning woman has been a hit factory for nearly six decades, and with the theatre’s tendency to churn out bio-musicals, King’s story was a natural choice. While the script spends a little too much time away from King, particularly on the subplot involving her and husband Gerry Goffin’s ‘best “friends” and professional rivals’, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, overall this is an outstanding piece of writing.
Curtain Bounce is a relatively new player in independent theatre on the Central Coast. Helmed by respected arts industry member Ruth Tiffen, they’ve become a force to reckon with in musical theatre. After sell-out productions of shows such as Phantom of the Opera in 2024 and A Chorus Line in 2025, their first foray into the plagued genre of jukebox musicals was a gamble. Thankfully, they’ve rolled an eleven and once again produced the region’s best musical of the year.
Multi-award-nominated director and production designer Stuart Smith does what he’s best at; making a piece of nuanced art, with bodies, shape, light, and keen attention to detail. Smith, along with collaborators Mathew Lutz (co-lighting design), Aylssan Russell (costumes), ensure nothing feels out of place. Everything feels considered, and they even keep tricks up their sleeves for the show’s final moments, eliciting a complete moment of audible ‘wow’ from the audience during the finale. Also bonus points for the cleverest ‘year and location’ reveals I’ve ever witnessed.
Choreography by Amanda Woodbine captures the varied eras and styles of the artists that went on to record King’s music. The live on-stage band, featuring at least half a dozen of the actual cast members doubling as musicians, under the musical direction of Lindsay Kaul. Assisted by Kani Lukuta (who is a standout as the lead member of ‘The Tempetation’), the team delivers the sound that all those ‘hall of famers’ King wrote for. It’s rare a musical can let loose and ascend into live concert, but in this show it can – and do they let fly.
The 30-odd-strong cast dive in and out of characters, with only a handful of people staying in one role throughout the show. Each member of the company understands their place in the machine of the piece, and each helps thrust it forward.
Jesse McGrath and Jacqui Grunden give powerhouse vocal performances as Mann and Weil respectively. Alexandra Rowe gives a blisteringly layered performance as King’s deeply conflicted first husband and key collaborator Gerry Goffin, without making us hate the character – which is no small feat. Ben Ross is a gleeful standout as the infamous music exec Donald Kirshner.
Soaring above all, Josephine Emmett, as Carole King, gives an electric masterclass of a performance to rival anything that’s been seen in the region in years. Not only does she look and sound the part, she plays the piano live throughout the entire performance.
Is BEUATIFUL Worth Seeing on the CENTRAL COAST?
This production is a showcase of what happens when care and compassion for an art form are placed above all else. Curtain Bounce has moved into that pantheon of production houses where I will see whatever they make; I simply trust it’ll be a sensational piece of theatre. This is a must-see show for ‘Coasties’, and if you are reading this from Greater Sydney or Newcastle and wondering if the trip up or down the M1 is worth it – the answer is yes!
Tickets and Practical Info for BEAUTIFUL on the CENTRAL COAST 🎟️
Playing at Laycock Street Community Theatre til September 29
Laycock Street Community Theatre | Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Book: Douglas McGrath
Music and Lyrics: Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil
Director: Stuart Smith
Executive Producer: Ruth Tiffen (Curtain Bounce)
Costume Design: Aylssan Russell
Lighting Design: Mathew Lutz
Choreographer: Amanda Woodbine
Musical Director: Lindsay Kaul
