Cassidy Janson will join the West End production of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical to play the title role from 30 November 2015. Also joining the cast will be Diane Keen as Genie Klein, King’s mother. Alan Morrissey will continue as King’s husband and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin as well as Lorna Want as song-writer Cynthia Weil, Ian McIntosh as song-writer Barry Mann and Gary Trainor as music publisher and producer Don Kirshner.
The Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning Beautiful - The Carole King Musical also announces an extension to the current booking period, having just released over almost 350,000 new tickets taking bookings at the Aldwych Theatre to 26 November 2016.
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical is the untold story of her journey from school girl to superstar; from her relationship with husband and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin, their close friendship and playful rivalry with fellow song-writing duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, to her remarkable rise to stardom. Along the way, she became one of the most successful solo acts in music history, and wrote the soundtrack to a generation.
Cassidy Janson was last in the West End playing Ruth in Dessa Rose at the Trafalgar Studios. She has also been seen in Candide andTick Tick Boom for the Menier Chocolate Factory, Blood Wedding at the Courtyard Theatre, Rooms: A Rock Romance at the Finborough, Lend Me a Tenor at the Gielgud Theatre playing the principle role of Maggie, Company at the Southwark Playhouse and played Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q at the Wyndhams Theatre. Janson was a member of the original London cast of Wicked and played standby Elphaba. On film her credits includeThe Hike, Tail’s End, Day Trip to London, Full Circle and Coma. Janson has recently guested with The Jive Aces performing at Glastonbury and Ronnie Scott's and her television appearances include Casualty.
Diane Keen starred in the late 70s sitcoms Rings On Their Fingers with Martin Jarvis and You Must be the Husband with Tim Brooke Taylor, both for the BBC. She played the leading role in Foxy Lady and starred opposite David Roper and Lewis Collins in The Cuckoo Waltz, both for Granada. She played Practice Manager Julia Parsons in the BBC daytime soap Doctors from 2003-2012. Her additional television credits include Sandbaggers, September Song, Ruth Rendell Mysteries and Brookside as well as guest appearances in The Professionals, Taggart, Minder, A Touch of Frost, and most recently New Tricks. Her film credits include Sweeney!, Thirteen at Dinner, Silverdream Racer, Judas and Jesus and Nowhere in Africa. As well as a season for the Bristol Old Vic, her theatre credits include tours of Same Time Next Year, Ladybird ,The Vagina Monologues, Small Hand and You’re Never Too Old.
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical is based on the early life and career of legendary singer/ songwriter Carole King and book by Douglas McGrath with words and music by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and is directed by Marc Bruni. Choreography is by Josh Prince with set designs by Derek McLane, costume designs by Alejo Viettii, lighting by Peter Kaczorowski and sound by Brian Ronan. Orchestrations and Music Arrangements are by Steve Sidwell.
The cast also includes Gavin Alex, Hannah Jay Allan, Vivien Carter, Dom Hartley Harris, Leo Ihenacho, Matt Nalton, Earl E. Perkins, Jay Perry, Sharon Rose, Tanisha L Spring, Danielle Steers and Joanna Woodward will play iconic musical performers and band members of the era. Ensemble members are Koko Basigara, Ashford Campbell, Matthew Colthart, Rosie Heath and Leigh Lothian. Final casting will be announced shortly.
With a cast of 26 and an orchestra of 12, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical features the Carole King classics including So Far Away, It Might As Well Rain Until September, Take Good Care of my Baby, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Up on the Roof, Locomotion, One Fine Day, You’ve Got a Friend, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and I Feel the Earth Move, along with hits like You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, On Broadway and Uptown from songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical continues at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway and a US tour will commence in September 2015 in Rhode Island. The original Broadway cast recording of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical is available on Ghostlight Records.
Producers are Paul Blake, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Jeffrey A. Sine, Richard A. Smith, Mike Bosner, Harriet N. Leve/Elaine Krauss, Terry Schnuck, Orin Wolf, Patty Baker/Good Productions, Roger Faxon, Larry Magid, Kit Seidel, Lawrence S. Toppall, Fakston Productions/Mary Solomon, William Court Cohen, BarLor Productions, Matthew C. Blank, Tim Hogue, Joel Hyatt, Marianne Mills, Michael J. Moritz, Jr., StylesFour Productions, Brunish & Trinchero and Jeremiah J. Harris.