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Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com Stage West proudly presents BOOK BY DOUGLAS MCGRATH WORDS & MUSIC BY GERRY GOFFIN & CAROLE KING I BARRY MAN & CYNTHIA WEIL MUSIC BY ARRANGEMENT WITH SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING Orchestrations, Vocal & Incidental Music Arrangements by Steve Sidwell Additional Music Arrangements by Jason Howland Originally Produced on Broadway by Paul Blake I Sony Music Publishing I Mike Bosner DIRECTOR DAYNA TEKATCH ASSISTANT DIRECTOR TROY GOLDTHORP CHOREOGRAPHER KEN OVERBEY RESIDENT MUSICAL DIRECTOR KONRAD PLUTA ASSISTANT MUSICAL DIRECTOR MORGAN McKEE EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC TECHNICAL DIRECTOR/ PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCER ASSOCIATE Howard Pechet Kira Campbell Sean D. Ellis SET COSTUME ASST. COSTUME HAIR & WIG DESIGNER DESIGNER DESIGNER DESIGNER Ian Martens Leslie Robison-Greene Jen Gareau Deb Planidin-Turcios LIGHTING DESIGNER David Smith STAGE MANAGER Sara Turner SOUND DESIGNER/ AUDIO ENGINEER Zach Coulter ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Darcy Foggo SCENIC ARTIST Shane Ellis APPRENTICE STAGE MANAGER Devon Vecchio Production is licensed by Music Theatre International. Videotaping or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited. We hope you enjoy our two hundred and twenty-seventh production. Opening April 19, 2024. STAGE WEST THEATRE RESTAURANTS 3
Before she was hit-maker Carole King — she was Carole Klein, a spunky, young songwriter from Brooklyn with a unique voice. From the chart-topping hits she wrote for the biggest acts in music to her own life-changing, trailblazing success with Tapestry, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical takes you back to where it all began — and takes you on the ride of a lifetime. THE CAST Amanda De Freitas.........................................................Shirelle/ Chiffon/ Janelle Woods/ Dance Captain Ben Faulknor...................................................................................................................... Drifter/ Engineer Tayo Gbalajobi...........................................................................................Shirelle/ Chiffon/ Shirley Owens Sarah Gibbons.................................................................................... Betty/ Marilyn/ U.S For Carole King Alex Gullason.............................................................................................................................Cynthia Weil Danny Gullekson.............................................................................Ensemble/ U.S For Righteous Brothers Kaylee Harwood.........................................................................................................................Carole King Elinor Holt................................................................................................................................... Genie Klein Jessica Jones............................................................................................Shirelle/ Chiffon/ Uptown/ Lucille Billy Lake.....................................................................................................................................Barry Mann Trevor Leigh......................................................................................................................... Donny Kirshner Clea McCaffrey..................................................................................................Shirelle/ Chiffon/ Little Eva Andrew McGillivray........................Nick/ Righteous Brother/ U.S For Gerry Goffin & Donny Kirshner Aza Michael.................................................................................................... Drifter/ U.S For Lead Drifter Kait Post............................................Assistant Director/ Ensemble/ U.S For Cynthia Weil & Genie Klein Sayer Roberts.............................................................................................................................Gerry Goffin Lee Siegel..................................................................................................................................... Lead Drifter Owen Welch..........................................................................................................................................Drifter Alex Wierzbicki.....................................Neil Sedaka/Righteous Brother/Lou Adler/ U.S For Barry Mann THE BAND Konrad Pluta....................................................................................................... Resident Musical Director Morgan McKee.........................................................................................Assistant Musical Director/ Keys Alex Gonzalez................................................................................................................................ Keyboards Jeff Fafard.............................................................................................................................................Drums Carl Janzen........................................................................................................................................... Guitar Jeremy Coates......................................................................................................................................... Bass 4 STAGE WEST THEATRE RESTAURANTS
Be Bop a Lula by Tex Davis and Gene Vincent. Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI) and Three Wise Boys Music LLC (BMI). Beautiful by Carole King. ColgemsEMI Music Inc. (ASCAP). Chains by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). Happy Days Are Here Again by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen. EMI Robbins Catalog Inc. (ASCAP). Special lyrics by Douglas McGrath and Cynthia Weil. He’s Sure the Boy I Love by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Screen Gems-EMI Music (BMI). I Go Ape by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI) Universal/BMG (BMI). It Might As Well Rain Until September by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). It’s Too Late by Carole King and Toni Stern. Colgems-EMI Music Inc. (ASCAP). Little Darlin’ Poison Ivy by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP). So Far Away by Carole King. Colgems-EMI Music Inc. (ASCAP). Some Kind of Wonderful by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). Splish Splash by Bobby Darin and Jean Murray. EMI Unart Catalog Inc. (BMI), Trio Music Co. Inc. (BMI) and Alley Music Corp. (BMI) Stupid Cupid by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI) and EMI Longitude Music (BMI). Take Good Care of My Baby by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). There Goes My Baby by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Ben King, George Treadwell and Lover Patterson. Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI). Up on the Roof by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). Walking in The Rain by Maurice Williams. Cherio Corporation (BMI) 100%. by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Phil Spector. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). EMI Blackwood Music Inc. obo Mother Bertha Music (BMI). The Locomotion We Gotta Get Out of This Place Love Potion #9 Who Put the Bomp Oh Carol Will You Love Me Tomorrow by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP). by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI) Universal/BMG (BMI). On Broadway by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI) One Fine Day by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). Pleasant Valley Sunday by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). by Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). Yakkety Yak by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP). (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman by Gerry Goffin, Carole King and Greg Wexler. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Phil Spector. Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI). EMI Blackwood Music Inc. obo Mother Bertha Music (BMI). STAGE WEST THEATRE RESTAURANTS 5
DOUGLAS MCGRATH ~ AUTHOR Douglas McGrath was a filmmaker and playwright. Most recently, he directed the HBO documentary “Becoming Mike Nichols. He collaborated with Woody Allen ” on the screenplay for Bullets Over Broadway, for which they were nominated for an Academy Award. He wrote and directed the Oscar-winning Emma from the Jane Austen novel; Company Man; Charles Dickens’s Nicholas Nickleby, which won the Best Ensemble Cast from the National Board of Review; Infamous; and the HBO documentary, “His Way, nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Nonfiction ” Special. His play Checkers opened the 30th anniversary season of New York’s acclaimed Vineyard Theatre. His book for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards. He began his career as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” in what was incontestably the worst year in the show’s history. He has written essays on the arts and politics for the New Republic, the New Yorker, The Nation, The New York Times and Vanity Fair. Douglas McGrath passed away on November 4, 2022. GERRY GOFFIN Born in Brooklyn in 1939, Gerry Goffin met Carole King at Queens College, and their musical collaboration began almost immediately. They married in 1959, and that same year wrote their first hit song “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” (The Shirelles). The duo penned more than 50 Top-40 hits including “The Locomotion,” “Natural Woman” and “Up on the Roof.” In 1987, Goffin and King were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Goffin has left an indelible mark on American music. CAROLE KING Pop music would be very different without the contributions of Carole King, who at age 17 wrote her first #1 hit with Gerry Goffin, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” for The Shirelles. The dozens of chart hits Goffin and King wrote during this period became legendary, but it was 1971’s Tapestry that took King to the pinnacle, speaking personally to her contemporaries and providing a spiritual musical backdrop to the decade. More than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles and six Grammys. BARRY MANN Barry Mann has written the melodies of some of the most influential pop songs in musical history. In addition to “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” the most-played song of the last century, and the songs heard in Beautiful, he composed later standards like “Somewhere Out There” (winner of two Grammys), “Here You Come Again,” “Sometimes When We Touch,” “Just Once” and “Don’t Know Much.” Together he and Cynthia Weil have amassed an incredible 112 pop, country, and R&B awards from Broadcast Music Inc. for significant radio air play. He has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. CYNTHIA WEIL Cynthia Weil was the acclaimed lyricist of classic songs such as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” the mostplayed song of the 20th century. In addition to the songs heard in Beautiful, she set the words to later standards including “Somewhere Out There,” “Here You Come Again,” “He’s So Shy,” “Just Once” and “Don’t Know Much,” to name just a few. Weil was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, honored with multiple Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards for “Somewhere Out There” as the Motion Pictures Song of the Year and Song of the Year. Weil passed away on June 1, 2023. 6 STAGE WEST THEATRE RESTAURANTS
DAYNA TEKATCH ~ DIRECTOR Dayna has worked all across the country as a director and choreographer. Recent credits include: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Resident DirectorToronto), Come From Away (Resident DirectorToronto, associate director-London, England, and Melbourne, Australia), Directing Credits include: Crazy For You (Theatre Calgary/Citadel), Avenue Q (Citadel), Stones in His Pockets (Neptune), Oliver! (NAC) The 39 Steps (Neptune, 1000 Islands, Stage West Mississauga), Wake Me When It’s Over, Two Across (Gravenhurst Opera House), Midlife: The Crisis Musical, Same Time Next Year (Orillia Opera House), Tuesdays With Morrie, Driving Miss Daisy (Imperial Theatre). Dayna spent 9 seasons at the Stratford Festival as an actor and choreographer and worked on 11 productions at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa as a director, choreographer, and actor. She is based in Toronto where she lives, gardens, and is constantly inspired by her beautiful family. TROY GOLDTHORP ~ ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Originally from Calgary, Troy has been performing in Musical Theatre, Opera, Plays, and Dance Theatre on stages across Canada and internationally for 15 years. A graduate of the Toronto Randolph College for the Performing Arts (Triple Threat Award) and the Canadian Guild of Stage Directors and Choreographers Associates Program, Troy has additionally worked as a theatre/dance instructor and adjudicator at various studios across Canada, the UAE, and Taiwan. Selected performing credits include; Ragtime: In Concert, Escape to Margaritaville, A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary), Jersey Boys, 9 to 5 (Citadel Theatre), Mamma Mia, Anne of Green Gables (The Charlottetown Festival), Evita (Vancouver Opera), We Will Rock You (International/RCCL), Peter Pan In Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty (Ross Petty Panto), Moby Dick, The Inventor (Calgary Opera), West Side Story (Rainbow Stage), Footloose (Drayton Entertainment), Cannibal! The Musical (Panasonic Theatre), The World Goes Round (Stage West Calgary), and Crossing Swords (Forte Musical Theatre Guild). The services of Troy Goldthorp as assistant director were made possible through the support of the Canadian Guild of Stage Directors and Choreographers’ Assistant and Associate Program, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. KEN OVERBEY ~ CHOREOGRAPHER Ken was the resident choreographer for the Gateway Theatre for 3 years. Other teaching includes 4 contracts with KASI Dance Olympic workshops in Perth, Sydney, Seoul, and Tokyo. 15 years as choreographic liaison with the Vancouver School board, and 6 years dancing with Walt Disney Entertainment and the British tour of West Side Story. Most recent choreographic credits: Wizard of Oz (CTORA/Granville Island Stage), Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief (CTORA). Assistant director for One Hit Wonders (Stage West Calgary), Million Dollar Quartet (Theatre Calgary), CATS (CTORA Prods). Other credits include: Pageant (Kay Meek Theatre), Silence the Musical (Arts Club/BMO Theatre) Cinderella Saskatchewan Premiere, City of Angels (Pit Collective/Performance Works), The Gift of the Magi and All Shook Up (Chemanius Theatre), and Victor/Victoria (Metro Theatre). Ken is so happy to be working with the wonderful fellow Vancouverite and longtime friend Lady Tekatch! STAGE WEST THEATRE RESTAURANTS 7
AMANDA DE FREITAS ~ SHIRELLE/CHIFFON/ JANELLE WOODS/DANCE CAPTAIN Amanda is excited to be returning to Stage West as Dance Captain and Shirelle in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Favourite past performance credits include; Theatre: Monty Python’s Spamalot, Frankenstein Revived, & Chicago (Stratford Festival), Hairspray (Mirvish, Broadway, U.S.Tour, Aquarius); Disney’s The Lion King (Mirvish) ; Obeah Opera (Luminato); Mamma Mia!, Beauty and the Beast, Shout! The Mod Musical (Capitol Theatre). Film: “Mirror, Mirror”. TV: “The L.A. Complex”. Concerts: Toronto: The Sony Center, The Rogers Centre. So much love to my supportive family & friends for inspiring me & cheering me on! It’s a joy to have connected with you, artist to audience member. To stay in touch, you can find me on IG @miuzia BEN FAULKNOR ~ DRIFTER/ENGINEER Ben is thrilled to be making his Stage West debut! Being in love with music he is excited to be exploring so many amazing genres of music in one show! Ben is a multitalented performer and writer, skilled in music, playwriting, and screenwriting, and is eager to bring his creative visions to life. Since childhood, he has been performing, beginning with church performances, and now traveling to various venues for shows. His goal is to continue developing projects that bring joy and/or inspiration to others. Credits include: Subway Ghost/Willie Lopez u/s in Ghost: The Musical (Starvox entertainment/Fallsview Casino), Caldwell B. Cladwell in Urinetown, Paul Peele in Turn the Page (Sheridan College) Film/TV: Jeremy: One More Time (CBC/ Counterfeit Pictures) TAYO GBALAJOBI ~ SHIRELLE/CHIFFON/SHIRLEY OWENS Tayo Gbalajobi (tie-yo ba-la-jo-bee) is delighted to be making her Stage West debut! Recent Credits include: Honey & Cocoa: A Black Girl Cabaret, the 2023 Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show, and It’s A Ship Show on Virgin Voyages. Tayo sends love to her family and friends for their unwavering support. Follow Tayo’s adventures performing in Canada and around the world on Instagram and Tik Tok @tayo.sings SARAH GIBBONS ~ BETTY/MARILYN/ U.S FOR CAROLE KING Sarah (they/them) is a proud queer, non-binary, actor, singer/songwriter, music producer, vocal coach & inclusive arts educator from St. John’s, Newfoundland, now based in Calgary & Toronto. Sarah is delighted to be back at Stage West where they recently played Sally Brown in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. Credits include: Manya Feinstein in The Great Divide (Harold Green Jewish Theatre), Mary Snow in Salt Water Moon (Guild Festival Theatre & The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival), Dot/Marie in Sunday in The Park with George (Scottish Premiere), Shapiro in Jacob Two Two (Young Peoples Theatre-Dora Nomination), Cordelia in Falsettos (The Musical Stage Company- BroadwayWorld Nomination for Best Featured Actor) Abigail Williams in Obeah Opera (Nightwood Theatre) and Louisa in The Sound of Music (National Arts Centre). Sarah holds their Masters in Music Theatre from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. When they are not on stage, Sarah runs their own private vocal and acting studio. They are passionate when it comes to equity and inclusivity in the arts and would like to dedicate this performance to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Many thanks to Dayna, Konrad, Ken, Kira, and the entire cast & crew for this incredible experience. Shout out to Bailey for all the love and support! 8 STAGE WEST THEATRE RESTAURANTS
ALEX GULLASON ~ CYNTHIA WEIL Alex (she/her) is an actor, singer and improviser from North Vancouver, BC. She attended the Musical Theatre Program at Capilano University and graduated with honours in 2012. Some of her favourite theatre roles include Sophie in Mamma Mia! (Chemainus), Amy in Company, Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Raincity), Sheila in Hair (Renegade) and Mona in Hurricane Mona (Touchstone). Her work in theatre has been recognized through multiple award nominations, and an Ovation and Jessie Award win. Alex loves to grow creatively which led her to begin training in improv comedy in 2018. She now performs weekly with the mainstage ensemble at The Improv Centre in Vancouver. Recently she was even fortunate enough to perform with legendary improviser Colin Mochrie. Film and TV credits include a supporting role in Christmas in Tahoe (Hallmark), as well as roles on Riverdale (CW), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix) and Untold Stories of the ER (TLC). In 2021 she landed a role in the AppleTV musical series Schmigadoon! The highlight of her career came the following year when she was offered a recurring role in Schmigadoon! season 2 and had the opportunity to work alongside some of Broadway’s best artists. This is Alex’s first time performing with Stage West and would like to thank the entire team for this incredible opportunity. Enjoy the show! @alexgullason DANNY GULLEKSON ~ ENSEMBLE/ U.S FOR RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS Danny is a Calgary based artist and is excited to be back at Stage West with the cast and crew of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. For Stage West: One Hit Wonders. Elsewhere: We Will Rock You (North American Tour); Mary Poppins, Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Storybook Theatre); Next to Normal (Cappuccino Theatre); and CABARET (The Mayfield). A special thank you to Mom, Dad, Matt and The Meyer’s for all the love and support over the years. Enjoy the show! KAYLEE HARWOOD ~ CAROLE KING Kaylee is a west-coast raised performer, director and coach based in Toronto. Performance highlights include: The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Catalyst, The Grand), Controlled Damage (The Grand), Serving Elizabeth (Aquarius), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (1st & 2nd US National Tours), Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Radio City Music Hall), Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway, Stratford, La Jolla Playhouse), Camelot (Stratford), Sweeney Todd (Citadel), The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady (Western Canada Theatre), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Les Misérables (Arts Club), two seasons at the Shaw Festival, and featured performer with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Film/TV: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Workin’ Moms, Luckiest Girl Alive, Mayday, Christmas Movie Magic, Reign, Good Witch, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, America’s Got Talent, Dancing with The Stars, and The Tony Awards. Kaylee recently directed ReTold (Dora Nomination) and UnCovered: Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles for Musical Stage Company, In Studio at Theatre Sheridan, and directed/produced episodes of the independent miniseries The Dressing Room. She was Assistant Director on Controlled Damage (The Grand), Dixon Road (Musical Stage) and Boy Falls From the Sky (Mirvish) and Directing Associate on Pollyanna (Aquarius). Thanks to Talent House and DPR. www.kayleeharwood.com STAGE WEST THEATRE RESTAURANTS 9
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