Beautiful - CM Performing Arts Center | 9.26.25

CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale is currently producing ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ from September 27th to October 19th. Now, this may read as an ordinary jukebox musical based on the title - which it technically is - but this isn’t your typical ‘we like this song so let’s make it work in the context of the show’ kind of jukebox musical. No, no, no. This musical takes a raw, intimate glimpse into the life of Carole King and her inspiration for writing and performing some of the most beautiful music we know.

Carole King is one of the most decorated singer/songwriters, having penned songs for The Drifters, The Shirelles, and The Righteous Brothers - and in ‘Beautiful’ we get to see how it all came to be. The story begins with Carole (played by Jess Ader-Ferretti) telling her mother Genie (Linda Pentz) of her intention to head to Manhattan to try and sell one of her songs and make it as a songwriter. She goes to meet music publisher/producer Don Kirshner (Rob Schindlar) and plays “It Might As Well Rain Until September” for him, which he accepts and encourages her to write more. Carole is quickly paired with lyricist Gerry Goffin (played by Bobby Peterson) and the chemistry between them is high, professionally and personally. Together they penned “Some Kind of Wonderful” that later became a hit for The Drifters.

Bobby Peterson, Jess Ader-Ferretti.

Photo Credit: Janette Pellegrini

This is where this show really stands out; the way these songs are presented, the audience gets to see how the songwriters originally wrote the songs and then the actors portraying the artists that sang them come out to perform it in the popular style we know. Very unique and delightful to watch.

The Drifters are portrayed by Steven Charles, Shiloh Bowen, and Chris Walker and they dazzle with every note and turn. They look so polished I left thinking that I wouldn’t mind seeing an entire night of them singing Drifters classics! As Carole and Gerry begin to hit their songwriting stride, they fall into friendly competition with fellow songwriters Cynthia Weil (played by Courtney O’Shea) and Barry Mann (Michael Krulder). While we don’t see the four of them collaborate on a project, it was nice to watch their friendship progress throughout the story.

I don’t want to give too much of the story away so I’ll stop with plot points here; however, there aren’t enough good things that I can say about the four leads. None of them are new to Long Island theater stages so expectations were set pretty high - and they all met or exceeded them effortlessly. Ader-Ferretti’s portrayal of Carole King was strong and grounded; she brought a maturity to the role that felt genuine. Carole’s music is full of warmth, but she was also a woman who has been through quite a bit in life. Hearing Ader-Ferretti sing Carole’s music gave the sense that she has also been through things and she brought that emotion to every moment. Just wait until you hear her sing “It’s Too Late” and “Beautiful” - truly powerful.

Jess Ader-Ferretti, Bobby Peterson.

Photo Credit: Janette Pellegrini

Equally strong was Peterson’s portrayal of Gerry; aside from sounding absolutely flawless on numbers like “Take Good Care of My Baby” and “Up On the Roof”, Peterson was fantastic in Act 2’s heavier moments. His acting skills were on full display as he navigated through Gerry’s tumultuous events with confidence and capability. Gerry behaves in quite an unsavory way at points, but the way Peterson presented the character made your heart go out to him. It takes great skill to feel empathy for a person whose behavior doesn’t always warrant it.  I enjoyed hearing O’Shea and Krulder sing as well. Honestly, you could toss O’Shea the phonebook and ask her to sing it and be entertained - and her rendition of “Happy Days Are Here Again” is a clear standout. Krulder’s “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” was *really* something else. This song is all over the place range wise and he belted this like it was nothing! It was incredibly impressive to watch. A true, raw talent!

Courtney O’Shea, Michael Krulder.

Photo Credit: Janette Pellegrini

Thankfully - show-stopping vocals didn’t end there. “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” from The Righteous Brothers (portrayed by Will Brennan and James O’Connor) was another banger! At this point we have seen these two in countless productions at CM and Brennan has stepped his game up with every role. He was hitting notes I’ve never heard him hit before and I was beyond impressed - I started looking around to make sure people were paying attention and hearing what I was hearing! He is one to watch and I can’t wait to see what he does next. The girls portraying The Shirelles (Tiara Solorzano, Chantele Sterling, Shaina Stroh, and Mmesoma Wright) were *also* incredible. They all sounded as one during “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and looked absolutely stunning. Sterling sang lead on the recognizable “The Locomotion” and made it hard to not get up and start dancing! Shaina Stroh took the reins for “One Fine Day” and also sang “Uptown” in Act 2, doing exactly what we have come to expect from her. She *fully* understands the assignment and schools everyone on what perfect vocals are.

Tiara Solorzano, Mmesoma Wright, Chantele Sterling, Shaina Stroh.

Photo Credit: Janette Pellegrini

Creatively, there are a ton of things to celebrate. Director Patrick Campbell continues to prove why he was the perfect choice to direct this show. He knows how to bring genuine, heartfelt moments out of every actor and scene and his decisions are made with clear intention. Kailey Randazzo served as Music Director and conducted the band, so a major shout-out to her for making this amazing music sound perfect! Scenic Designer John Mazzarella outdid himself once again. I don’t even know how to describe how stunning everything looked - from the large piano cut out along the back, to the gorgeous panels on the sides, to the colors used throughout - I need to step on this stage just so I can take pictures of myself on it. It looks that good! Rounding out the creative team is Ruben Fernandez who choreographed the show with timely and sharp choreography and Ronald R. Green III returned as costume designer and everything was absolutely beautiful.

I know, I know. I couldn’t resist.

‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ is a home run for CM Performing Arts Center and is another Long Island theater must-see! I would *highly* suggest getting tickets as soon as you can as they are selling extremely quickly, with many dates already sold out. The production is running until Sunday, October 19th and tickets can be purchased by calling the box office, at the door, or via their website at www.cmpac.com.

Photo Credit: Janette Pellegrini

Cast:

Carole King - Jess Ader-Ferretti

Genie Klein - Linda Pentz

Betty - Michelle Shapiro

Neil Sedaka - Will Brennan

Lucille - Tiara Solorzano

Don Kirshner - Rob Schindlar

Gerry Goffin - Bobby Peterson

The Drifters - Shiloh Bowen+, Steven Charles, Chris Walker

Cynthia Weil - Courtney O’Shea

Barry Mann - Michael Krulder

The Shirelles - Tiara Solorzano, Chantele Sterling, Shaina Stroh, Mmesoma Wright+

Janelle Woods - Shaina Stroh

Little Eva - Chantele Sterling

The Righteous Brothers - Will Brennan, James O’Connor

“One Fine Day” Backup Singers - Tiara Solorzano, Chantele Sterling, Mmesoma Wright

Nick - James O’Connor

Marilyn Wald - Molly McLEan

“Uptown” Singer - Shaina Stroh

Lou Adler - John Mazzarella

Ensemble - Will Brennan, Kristi Kahen, Molly McLean, John Mazzarella, James O’Connor, Michelle Shapiro

+ Dance Captains

Creative Team:

Director - Patrick Campbell

MUSIC DIRECTOR - Kailey Randazzo

Stage Manager - Keith Jones

Asst. Stage Manager - Juliana Jagielo

CHOREOGRAPHER - Ruben Fernandez

SOUND Designer - Silvio Sweet

PROPS DESIGNER - Heather Van Velsor

Scenic Designer - JOHN MAZZARELLA

LIGHTING DESIGNER - Keith Jones & Kevin Purdy

Costume/WIG Designer - RONALD R. GREEN III

The Beautiful House Band:

Conducted by Kailey Randazzo

Keyboards - Matthew W. Surico, Kim Gabriele, Becca Nussbaum

Guitars - Diana Fuller, Tom Bradbard

Bass - Shiori Chozono

Drums - Mike Ayala

Reeds - Andrew Lenahan, Chris Pannullo

Trumpet - David Lugo

Percussion - Joe Rizzo