Katie Brayben is to swap one King for another when she leads the UK premiere of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical at the Aldwych Theatre next year.
The actress, who is currently starring as Princess Diana in the West End transfer of the Almeida’s hit King Charles III, will play the title role in the Tony Award-winning musical, which arrives in the West End on 10 February.
The Vera star returns to the world of musical theatre following roles in the Matt Smith-led musical thriller American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre, Ragtime The Musical at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the West End production of Mamma Mia!.
Brayben will be joined in the cast by Alan Morrissey, who was last seen on the London stage in X Factor musical I Can’t Sing!, as her on-stage song writing husband Gerry Goffin, and Lorna Want, whose West End credits include Evita and Dreamboats And Petticoats, as songwriter Cynthia Weil.
The part of Carole King’s mother Genie Klein will be played by soap star Glynis Barber, whose West End credits include And Then Theatre Were None at the Duke of York’s Theatre. Gary Trainor, last seen in Olivier Award nominated family hit Potted Potter at the Garrick Theatre, will play music publisher and producer Don Kirshner.
Featuring some of King’s most popular hits including You’ve Got A Friend, Take Good Care Of My Baby and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, the musical charts the singer’s journey from schoolgirl to superstar, from her relationship with Goffin and playful rivalry with fellow song-writing duo Barry Mann and Weil to her rise to stardom.
Featuring a book by Douglas McGrath with direction by Marc Bruni, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical comes to London following the show’s Tony Award-winning success on Broadway, where it is still running.
Prior to the musical’s UK debut, Dance ‘Til Dawn will play a limited season at the Aldwych Theatre from 23 October to 3 January. The new dance show from former Strictly Come Dancing duo Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace opens at the venue following the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed double bill Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, which today announced it will transfer to Broadway next spring. The shows end their London run on 4 October.