REVIEW: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
April 22, 2024
Beautiful has a lot of heart at its core, it showcases themes of perseverance, agency, and the importance of standing in your truth.
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Molly is an advertising professional. She is a Wittenberg University alum, where she attended on a theatre scholarship. Since graduating, Molly has performed in both theatre, dance and improv groups across the country. She loves attending live performances and hopes her passion for writing will inspire others to get back to the theatre, as well.
David is a director, music director, writer, and educator. He received his M.A. in Theatre from Regent University and has assisted in the development of over 15 original musicals – two of which had successful Off-Broadway runs. Read more about David at deanandbrush.com/about. This is his third year with LCT.
Willie Caldwell has worked as a professional actor, musician, artist, and educator for over 20 years. He trained at AMDA and has appeared in national touring productions, theater, film, and television. He arned his BM in Music and Music Management from Berklee, and has an MFA rom Virginia Tech. Willie is the VP Marketing and Client Engagement for PLAY Audio Agency, a creative audio advertising agency in downtown Cincinnati. Willie has also served as FT faculty at Miami University's Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship Program. He's earned the Beckmann Research Award in Arts Entrepreneurship presented by the Society of Arts Entrepreneurship Educators (SAEE).
Christy is a local actor and digital marketer. This is her second year with LCT. You can follow her on Instagram @christypcarson
Bryna has a lifelong love for the stage, being raised in a theatrical family. She attended CCM as well as SIUE for design and dramaturgy. An amateur playwright, her work has been performed in OH, CA, NV, and numerous fringe festivals. Her writing and design background led her to marketing, where she is a Digital Marketing & Communications Coordinator.
Emily is a transplant to the Miami Valley, originally from northern Minnesota. She has been involved in theater companies in Fargo, N.D. and Tokyo, Japan, most often on the technical side with stage management, production management and prop design.
Shelby has a background in theatre education and dance, including the Director of Artistic and Educational Programs with the Surry Arts Council in North Carolina where she directed, choreographed, designed and taught for students throughout North Carolina and Virginia. Shelby has a background in teaching students diagnosed with various physical, mental, and learning disabilities. Shelby has taught at various institutes across the country including Lexington Children's Theatre, Shooting Stars YouTheatre, Missoula Children's Theatre, StageRight MTC Inc, Morehead State University, Surry Community College, Surry Arts Council, Ryle High School, Surry County Schools, Millennium Charter Academy, Cincinnati Public Schools, Boone County Public Libraries, Kenton County Public Libraries, Grant County Public Libraries and now The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati.
Grace is a Cincinnati-based dentist. A Miami University alum, she was in main-stage shows and past-president of Stage Left. She has performed locally in musicals and comedies. Grace developed her love of writing for theatre in Cappies, a program that trains high school students to review theatre. Follow her on Instagram @greycycler
Doug is an avid, lifelong theater fan with an extensive collection of original cast albums. He also teaches classes on musical theater at OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute).
Alan is a professional writer, college instructor, and playwright. The author of four full-length plays, he also explores life through compressed formats (i.e., one and ten-minute plays). These shorter plays have been performed locally, nationally, and internationally. One is published in “One-Minute Plays: A Practical Guide to Tiny Theatre.” Alan is also a Comics Scholar, working on a podcast entitled “The First Century: A Personal History of Comics in America.”
Ariel Mary Ann is a Women and Gender Studies graduate from University of Cincinnati with a life long love of performing. She is an actor and playwright. Email Ariel.
Jenifer is a millennial living in her beloved Queen City. She is a communications professional (AAA), Walnut Hills grad, and loves to watch reruns of “I Love Lucy” and eat Graeter’s Ice Cream. Her passions lie in community service, attending entertainment shows and just living life.
Noah is a current arts administration student at UC CCM and playwright with a lifelong love for theatre in all its forms. They found their love for reviewing theatre and arts education through Cappies of Greater Cincinnati, where he is currently on the Board of Directors. Follow along with their theatregoing adventures on Instagram & TikTok @noahseestheatre! To contact Noah, please contact noahpmoore@gmail.com
Adam is a longtime lover of theatre and music and any performing arts. Currently working at the University of Dayton, his passions for musicals led him during the pandemic to create StageRant a movie musical review podcast with his friend Joe. He is super excited to join LCT as a new reviewer! Contact: jamarags@gmail.com.
Katrina is a local performing artist and directress and has served as copy editor for Rob Bucher’s Behind The Curtain Cincinnati. Her company, Harley Quinn Studios, produces old-timey radio show content and provides the place “where the voices in your head come to play.” When not doing the artsy thing, she works for Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) as their Contract and Pricing Specialist. Contact: harleyquinnstudios@gmail.com
Nathan is a Cincinnati-based playwright and musician. Nathan works as a freelance trumpeter and pianist, performing in pit orchestras, churches and pop groups throughout Cincinnati. He holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor’s degree in Trumpet Performance from University of Idaho. Nathan has collaborated with several playwrights as composer/lyricist, as well as musically directed several shows and workshops. His two original plays received workshop readings with Cincinnati LAB Theatre, The Secret Life of Bros (2019) and Of Dudes and Nudes (2022), the prior receiving a production in 2021.
Sherri holds a M.Ed. She is a retired high school teacher, a veteran, and a lifelong theater enthusiast, helping to raise another generation of theatre enthusiasts.
Beautiful has a lot of heart at its core, it showcases themes of perseverance, agency, and the importance of standing in your truth.
Sidney Higgins leads the cast with a pitch perfect portrayal of King by showcasing a surprising vocal vulnerability that draws audiences in and keeps them wanting more. This is no small feat given the role requires almost constant signing for two and a half hours.
