..but, the star sounds nothing like the legend..

In the film, "La Vie En Rose," Marion Cotiilard won the Oscar for not only her great performance, but, also sounding like Piaf.

With all due respect, though Cotillard did sing in Rob Marshall's film adaptation of the musical NINE, she lip-synced in LA VIE EN ROSE to various voices including actual recordings of Edith Piaf. Per Cotillard herself, she worked extensively with coaches to master her lip-synching, which wasn't a secret at all but mentioned in the press during the film's release.

BobNC - I don't think John Lloyd Young's natural voice was like Franke Vali's so maybe the same thing will happen Jessie Mueller. BTW - what part of NC do you live in? I live in Charlotte.

It's never really supposed to be an imitation of the original person's sound, it's more about capturing the spirit and presence of the original person... That's more important than sounding like them

Tracie Bennett in End of the Rainbow sounded more like Katharine Hepburn than Judy Garland. I found that a little disconcerting. She did get Judy's gestures right in her song deliveries though.

Hugh Jackman didn't remotely look nor sound like the real Peter Allen in THE BOY FROM OZ but I'm still baffled how everyone continues to 'claim' he was spot on in his interpretation. A simple YouTube search will provide you with evidence of how off Jackman was. What he DID portray was Allen's exuberant cheerful stage persona, but that's about it.

Same with Tracie Bennett's acclaimed portrayal of Judy Garland in END OF THE RAINBOW. She not only didn't look, sound nor recreate any essence of the real Garland, but yet people continue to RAVE about her accurate her portrayal was. Really, folks? Isabel Keating was spot-on with her Judy Garland in THE BOY FROM OZ -- both in fully recreating Garland's mannerisms to singing voice.

Stephanie J. Block was Stephanie J. Block when she played Liza Minnelli in THE BOY FROM OZ. Not a single gesture in her performance recreated any aspect of Liza Minnelli.

Is BEAUTIFUL a bio-musical where Jessie is *playing* Carole King? If so, then some approximation of her sound and style might be called for. If it's just a jukebox musical of her songs, then it doesn't matter.

Do most people even know who Carole King is anymore?

My guess is no. Certainly not many under 40. Not being rude or cruel, just an educated guess. She hasn't been in the public eye for decades now.

Hopefully, they're telling a compelling, entertaining story with a fascinating main character that doesn't hinge on a "do you know who I am?" factor. Because if it does, whether she sounds like her or looks like her, most people aren't going to know or care.

And if they're relying on diehard Carole King fans who are also theatre fans to be the primary ticket-buyers, they can count on a solid six-week run before they close.

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If they wanted someone who can impersonate Carole King they would have hired Todd Rundgren.

There certainly are precedents, including Boy from Oz.

Also, Diana Ross didn't sound like Billie Holliday (a great singer playing another great singer, but they don't sound like each other), Julie Andrews didn't sound like Gertrude Lawrence (a great singer playing a beloved singer/actress as if she were a much better singer than she was), and Joaquin Phoenix didn't sound like Johnny Cash (at all!).

Streisand was legendary in her own right in Funny Girl but she looked, acted, and sounded absolutely nothing like Fanny Brice. Even in the movie where they added Fanny Brice's signature song to the score it didn't seem to bother people that the star sounded nothing like the legend.

I had zero opinion on Jessie Mueller before seeing her in Beautiful, and while I don't think I've taken the pill, she is doing a good job of embodying Carole King without doing an impression.

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Wait. is that a picture of Jessie Mueller? StickIt are you Jesse Mueller? Good job of defending yourself.