To the uninitiated, musical theatre can have a reputation for jazz hands, petticoated skirts and relentlessly cheery songs delivered with huge smiles (not that there is anything wrong with that, of course). While there are plenty of examples since the dawn of time – well at least Sondheim – to prove this generalisation unequivocally flawed, in recent years expectations have expanded as the genre has brought increasingly musically diverse offerings to the stage, from Once’s acoustic, stripped back love songs to Matilda The Musical’s stand-up worthy witty numbers packed with punk spirit. The latest production to join their rewarding ranks is the West End arrival of Broadway hit Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.
Carole King, with her globe-conquering seminal album Tapestry, is one of those artists whose work has found its way into fans’ music collections whether they were buying on vinyl in the 60s or MP3s in the noughties, if the CD sat next to their usual indie classics or the EP was nestled between other folk icons. Her work is loved by millions, and this new musical by writer Douglas McGrath and director Marc Bruni offers the tantalising combination of both the little known story of her rise to colossal success from school girl to superstar and a soundtrack of some of her most adored songs.
Taking on the daunting task of playing the legend is Katie Brayben, last seen as Princess Diana in Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III. Taking inspiration from King’s revealing song writing style, we asked the actor to put together her own playlist of songs – which you can listen to at the bottom of this article – that have played a key part in making up the tapestry of her life so far. And, as you might expect from the daughter of two blues musicians, her eclectic answers put her straight to the top of my wish list companion for my local’s pub quiz music round, even if the Neighbours theme tune does make an appearance…
The song that reminds me of my childhood…
Camellia by Hall & Oates. I used to go for camping trips in France in the summer holidays with my family. We played this Hall & Oates album loads. It reminds me of yellow fields whipping by the open car window and singing to myself ‘oh cummiwoowwaaa’ (which is what I thought the words were… of course they were ‘Oh Camellia’).
The song that reminds me of the time I first realised I wanted to be an actor…
Oh God, probably the Neighbours theme tune, embarrassingly. Or the title music to the BBC’s 1995 Pride And Prejudice. I wanted to be Elizabeth Bennett so much. I think because she was smart and went against the grain; I was less confident.
The song that makes me happiest…
Evolve by Ani DiFranco is a wonderful song. It’s not that it makes me happy as such, it’s just that I love what she’s saying and I’m totally with her when she sings “I am trying to evolve.” I also love Bug A Martini by Tori Amos. Such an amazingly sexy groove it makes me smile.
The song most likely to make me cry…
Hejira by Joni Mitchell; this song kills me. It’s like stepping into another world. A whole new landscape. The poetry and philosophies in this song are extraordinary. And then there is Jaco Pastorius’ bass playing, which is incredible. My favourite lyrics of all time are in this song –“I know no one’s going to show me everything, we all come and go unknown. Each so deep and superficial between the forceps and the stone.”
The song that reminds me most of terrifying auditions…
I sometimes find it hard to sleep before an audition so probably Brain Stew by Green Day, who were one of the first bands I saw live of my own volition. It has the words “on my own, here we go” which is how I feel just before I go into a meeting room. Oh, and if anyone’s asking, that’s also my karaoke song.
The song that reminds me of finding out I had won the lead in Beautiful – The Carole King Musical…
Probably I Feel The Earth Move by Carole King because that’s how I felt as I screamed down the phone to my poor agent. Also I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone which was excruciating.
The song I am most looking forward to performing every night in the show…
I love singing You’ve Got A Friend. It’s so warm and generous and the chords are so gospel-y and gorgeous. And I get to sing it with Ian McIntosh, Lorna Want and Gary Trainor. What more could a girl desire? And I love singing Will You Love Me Tomorrow and It’s Too Late… There are too many good ones!
The song that reminds me of my parents is…
My folks are blues writers and musicians [Fran McGillivray and Mike Burke], so so many songs remind me of them. For my Mum I think it would be Memphis Minnie’s Me And My Chauffeur Blues (but my Mum’s version) and for my dad it would be Buddy Holly’s Everyday, but only because he would play the guitar and we would all sing on holidays, and it was always on our song list. But all of their own songs remind me of them. They’re so good.
The song that reminds me of falling in love…
Oh gosh that’s a big one. So many. I can tell you my break up song is Tori Amos’ Tear In Your Hand; that goes on repeat if I’m heartbroken. Falling in love, I guess it would have to be something like Joga by Björk. It’s epic. The strings and percussion loops make it feel like you’re continually falling and she’s singing “state of emergency”, which is how I feel when I’m falling in love. Or Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush. Terrifying and inevitable.
The song I have to turn off when it comes on the radio…
I was laughing about this today with Vivien Carter who plays Marylin Wald in Beautiful. I said I couldn’t bear Pachelbel’s Canon (she was talking about wedding music). I just don’t get it. It’s so overplayed and the chord sequence is also over copied in popular music. Viv said ‘that’s what I’m going to associate with you now’ so perhaps that answers the final question too. It would be just my luck if people saw me coming and had Pachelbel’s Canon going round their head… Sorry Johann Pachelbel, and anyone who uses it for their wedding music. It’s just me and Viv. The rest of the world loves it.
The song I hope will make people think of me…
Perhaps something fun and in the present like Chelsea Morning by Joni Mitchell.