The Beautiful Carole King

The musical is "Beautiful," and it tells the story of one of the most celebrated composers and singers in pop history: Carole King; a woman who wrote (with her lyricist husband, Gerry Goffin) dozens of major hit songs in the '60s and '70s, including "Natural Woman," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Up on the Roof," "You've Got a Friend" and "Chains," which was covered by a band of admirers called the Beatles. In the late '60s, King emerged as a singer, and her 1971 album, "Tapestry," stayed on the charts for an astounding 68 weeks, helping to pave the way for the era of the singer-songwriter.

"Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" will open this month (September 24, 2013) at the Curran Theatre (San Francisco) in a "pre-Broadway world premiere." It moves to New York for previews before its Broadway opening in January (2014) at the Stephen Sondheim Theater.

Ben Fong-Torres wrote a piece for the San Francisco Chronicle. It's HERE