Beautiful in San Francisco — Page 2

In town on business and decided to come see it - 2nd row!!! Also it is opening night. I've been listening to Tapestry all day. Will report later.

Update after seeing it.

I thought it was a fun night out - great cast and very moving. Jessie Mueller was fantastic. I saw her in Drood, and did not get all the buzz, but I can't believe the same actress played both roles. I am a now a huge fan. Also, the set and the score were also top notch.

I agree with those that found Epstein to be the weak link - may just be his role - but to me, while Jessie/Carol ages during the two acts, Epstein remains the confused young guy.

I also think the two secondary characters need to have their parts shortened to focus more on Carol/Gerry. Also, the medley at the end of Act 1 was just way too long - yet, of course, most audience members were eating that stuff up. Someone actually yelled "Bravo" at the end of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling."

One annoying thing - a few of the guys were clearly wearing boxer briefs - which from the 2nd row was distracting. The Drifters' pants are too tight to hide those lines, and you could actually see the UnderArmour waist band above Spector's pants in the "Poker Scene."

I wish the concert had been longer. It appears they have moved You Got a Friend to the beginning of the show - and end with Feel the Earth Move.

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Updated On: 10/9/13 at 09:39 PM

I watched this a couple of nights ago. I'm relatively young (mid-twenties), so I did not know anything about Carol King's life and was not familiar with many of her songs. There were many moments when I was like, "oh, I had no idea she wrote that...or that..." She is clearly a very talented and prolific songwriter. The audience mostly consisted of older individuals, and there were multiple audible "oohhs" and "ahhhs" when Mueller sang one of King's hits. So the audience was definitely into it.

Overall, I was not really impressed with the show. The book wasn't all that exciting or interesting...I suppose this is mostly due to the subject material. I just didn't really feel a connection with any of the characters...except for maybe Carol King...mayyybe. That being said, the cast is immensely talented, especially Jessie Mueller, who deserves a lot of recognition for her work. Choreo was fine. Set was great. Book needs a bit of work. This will likely be a critical success, but not a commercial one. I don't see this show attracting the younger crowd. But I'm glad I watched it.

Apparently Sherry Goffin Kondor is the Executive Producer, which may explain some things re: the writers avoiding some topics.

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My mom saw it this weekend and when I asked for a full report she texted, "It's amazing!!" Then, "Fantastic!!!!!" Then, "This show was amazing!!!!!!! I'd go again!" She's not a huge theater person (and also has a penchant for overusing exclamation points), but it appears she and her friends enjoyed it...

Updated On: 10/15/13 at 01:16 PM

I'm really excited for this- I love Jake Epstein!

I saw this last Night. It was Great Night of Theatre. Thoughts I have, that echo some of the previous thoughts from other posters are------

I definitely see a Tony Nom for Jessie in this role. Whether she wins--depends on the competition this season. She is onstage for 80% + of the time. The woman sings her Lungs Out, and while NOT imitating Carole King--she has captured Carole's vocal style nicely. Even hitting a few notes, I am not sure Carole would hit in "Beautiful" (the Song)!

Jake Epstein---I don't know if it is in the direction he has received or in his interpretation of the role--but I did not feel any of the impending Break Down that comes later. Yes, he talked about wanting to go out and Carole states at one point about his mood swings--but I feel if this is going to cause a turning point in their relationship and her career--I want to see a bit more of this side of him. It is like all of a sudden---he is ON The Roof!!

I liked the addition of Mann & Weil Characters. I thought it gave Carole some friends, co-workers an confidantes she could depend on.

I kind of wish they had left "You've Got A Friend" at the end, only before "I Feel The Earth Move". It is an iconic song of hers.

Also, as someone else before me mentioned, they could cut some time in the first act by having King/Goffin Start a song they are pitching--then have it end with the act that performed the number. Instead of seeing both Versions back to Back.

As someone in their 50's--I have had "Tapestry" in album, 8-Track, Cassette, Cd and now MP3. So this show was just what my Heart and Ears desired. I look forward to revisiting it in NYC.

I'm happy for them that it has sold out but sad for me. I was hoping to have another shot at rush. Oh well, guess I have to save for a trip to NY.

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I know someone who went who said she was quite good, though visibly nervous. She also said there were some flubs and moments where Rebecca had help from the cast, so I can't imagine she had much rehearsal. Props to her for going on in such a big, intimidating part, I'd be curious to see her go on in NY one day.

I hope changes are made as well. Why so many Weil-Mann songs crammed into a show about Carole King? Yes, I hear that the characters of Weil and Mann offer comedy relief and they did play important roles in Carole's life, but, please scale back on their songs being included at the expense of Goffin-King and Carole-solo composed songs.

I also agree that Carole's transformation to solo performer needs much fleshing out. In real life, touring with James Taylor inspired Carole to begin writing her own lyrics. Granted, JT can't be written into the story, but, there must be more time spent to show how Carole strikes out on her own and becomes the voice of her generation.

I hear the show is very good, but, here's hoping it can reach greater heights when it reaches Broadway. Carole deserves nothing less.

Updated On: 10/21/13 at 09:45 PM

I feel like Barry and Cynthia are hard to cut down because we enjoy them so much, but they really do need to be cut down quite a bit. The show isn't about them and we want to enjoy them, but in small doses. I hope the team has read the reviews and criticism because they all pretty much say that the show is great fun and has so much potential but the first act gets too far away (ha) from Carole and the second act rushes by and lacks a real resolution. From the interview Jessie Mueller and Jake Epstein did to hearing from other sources what kind of cuts are being made, it sounds like they know what's wrong and are prepared to do the work to fix it, so I can't wait to see what the show looks like when it gets here.

Fair point. Though, knowing Carole's story fairly well, I'd imagine she'd be a bit more concerned with the show's depiction of her father, which may explain why their marriage troubles feel not fully explored in the show.