After nearly two years off the stage, Miranda Musical Society is excited to be back under lights.
The society is preparing to perform Beautiful the Carole King Musical from January 26 at Anita's Theatre, Thirroul.
The Tony-Award winning show was originally slated to run in March 2020, but because of COVID-19, the production was postponed - one week before opening night.
Based on the life of rock 'n' roll icon Carole King, the musical follows her life's journey and features the chart topping hits she wrote opposite her husband, Gerry Goffin.
The cast and crew are all from Sutherland Shire or the Illawarra.
Now it makes its long-awaited debut at the historic theatre which has hosted seasoned performers including Jimmy Barnes, John Paul Young and Eskimo Jo.
Brooklyn-born Carole King was a shy teenage songwriter, who went on to become one of the most successful female artists of the latter half of the 20th century; having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Her music became the soundtrack to a generation, writing chart topping hits for the biggest stars of Rock & Roll including The Beatles, James Taylor, Bobby Vee, Little Eva, The Shirelles and The Drifters.
Her life story was later turned into an award-winning musical, which opened on Broadway in 2014 to worldwide acclaim and featured the music she wrote, alongside her first husband and writing partner, Gerry Goffin. The musical also features billboard hits from friends and rival writing duo, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.
Miranda Musical Society's production will feature shire born performer Emilie Lawson, who will not only be playing the titular role of Carole, but will be playing 'like' Carole, accompanying herself live on the piano for the duration of the show.
"Carole King is one of those pivotal artists who had such a big impact on the music of her time, writing hits such as Locomotion, You've Got a Friend and Natural Woman," she said. "Her music has and still does bring such joy and nostalgia to people across the world, and so I am looking forward to being able to share her story and songs on-stage for audiences."
She is joined by a trio of talent including Christopher Melotti as Gerry Goffin, Tanya Boyle as Cynthia Weil and Stefan Jamal as Barry Mann.
Directed by industry veteran Col Peet, he brings a wealth of experience to the production having directed several Miranda Musical Society productions in he past 10 years including The Secret Garden and Phantom of the Opera.
"It was definitely very heartbreaking to see the cast and crew's hard work have to cease immediately right before show week, especially after six months of rehearsals," he said.
"Adding to this, we also lost our theatre, meaning we had no venue to host our production. Thankfully, the team at Anita's Theatre allowed us the opportunity to finally stage our production this January. While it's nearly two years in the making, we promise this show is 'beautiful' and definitely worth coming along to."
The show's Musical Direction is led by Peter Sampson, who will be leading the orchestra of 11 up to the main stage, where they will perform live behind the performers for the duration of the show. The show's choreography has been provided by Dolores Dunbar and Kristen Hockley.
It's on until January 30. There are six shows. Tickets start from $45.50.