You gotta love Carole King, as her memoir "A Natural Woman" revealed, she has gotta be the straightest laced rock star of all time. Hell. Mama Cass had a more active sex life. The 1960s were one long marriage and break up and daughter and marriage with hardly a cheap thrill in the lot. She didn't take drugs, all she did was release one of the most successful albums and boatloads of the most successful albums of all times. In a word (well in a couple) she is the most boring rock star of em all.
So the news that Broadway is planning a Carole King musical makes you think the following:
1. The score? Not a problem,. we've got it covered, could easily give "Jersey Boys" and that "Motown" one a run for their money.
2. The Book? Not so fast…
I mean really, not even an affair with James Taylor? Everybody had sex with James Taylor but no, not Carole. The producers, some folks from Sony, said this: "King fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her twenties had the husband of her dreams and a hot career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock'n'roll". Carole fought? Who did she fight? Here try this on: "With boyfriend later husband later ex-husband who she has remained close to, King was a sensational songwriter working the Brill Building and when she decided to go solo and moved to L.A.? She was bigger still." Let me some em sell that.
Any how, at what point do we give up on these damn jukebox Broadway musicals. With the exception of "Jersey Boys" NONE OF THEM HAS WORKED. That is as in NONE. I think once everybody loses their chemise with the Motown Story there will come a stop gap where putting together hits by a musician will not a musical make.
In the mean time, this is a dreadful idea and will suck on ice.