Report Card---"Beautiful, The Carole King Musical"

So why am I doing a Report Card on a live stage musical that has been running in New York for four years now?  What doesn't mean  is that I'm not going to write Report Cards about movies before the awards season is over.  
Far from it.  Simple.  When I lived further east, I used to do Report Cards on stage productions far more often. 

I can't get to New York as often as I'd like to these days, so when the national company of a Broadway show I have some interest in comes to Chicago, and it is a show that I think might appeal to me, it doesn't matter that it opened more than four years ago.  So my wife was nice enough to shlep me in my wheelchair.

We got great seats, and everyone around me treated me most courteously.

I was always a rather modest fan of Carole King, certainly enough to want to see the show.   

On to the scoring:   

Did you have any built in expectations about this show, and if so, were they met, or even exceeded?

The advertising for the show certainly made it seem damn appealing.

A+..

Is it interesting?

Fascinating.

A+.

Compelling even?

Totally

A+.

Is it good storytelling?

Great.  The pacing is breathtaking.  It moves like a bullet.

A+.

Is it well written?

Yes.  They turned a collection of great songs and fashioned a great musical out of it.

A+.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Very.  I don't know how many women have played Carole King.  The one I saw was awesome.  There's no reason they can't all be.

A.+

Well staged?

Incredibly.

A+.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

I don't even know if this production was directed by the original director.  Whoever it was did a great job.

A.

How long does it take to establish the show's locale and time period?

Immediately.  The early 60s.

A.

Is it too long? Too short?

It could have gone on far longer.

A+.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?.

Yes, and yes.

A+.

Is it predictable?

Maybe others knew her story better than I did.  But they enabled me to catch up quickly.

A.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Often.  It made me want to explore her albums more thoroughly.

A.

Is it funny?

Often hilarious.

A+.

Would it have been worth the fifty bucks it would have cost to see it on stage?.

Every nickel.  And these were half-price tickets.

A+.

Is it impressive?

Wow, is it.  If it comes to your town, this is the one to see.

A+..

Overall grade: A+.

A virtually perfect show.

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