Don’t count on Carole King to see the new musical that depicts her life. “This show is very revealing and painful. There are moments she doesn’t want to live again,” points out Cynthia Weill, King’s longtime friend and one of the major characters portrayed in “Beautiful”. Bring a box of Kleenex to this one -- even the 50-year-old man who sat on my left had a serious case of the blues.

“Beautiful” revisits a significant and prolific period in Carole King’s life, marked by romance, heartbreak, and her rise to stardom. Act I introduces us to a wide-eyed, 16-year-old Jewish girl from Brooklyn, played by Tony-nominated Jessie Mueller, who keeps King’s modesty and humility intact. Early on, King falls in love with her future writing partner and husband, Gerry Goffin (Jake Epstein), and lands a job at the famous Brill Building, where songwriters and composers crank out the hits for Motown’s superstars. At 18, she and Goffin land their first Number 1 hit with “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, made popular by The Shirelles, and their luck continues to soar, writing songs for The Drifters and The Four Tops who also come to life on stage.

As the plot continues to explore the relationship between King and Goffin, it’s quite clear why King can’t sit through a viewing of “Beautiful”. We spectators feel guilty watching their love unravel, what with Goffin leaving his family behind for a life of self-indulgence, but without it, King’s story is incomplete. The strength of King makes “Beautiful” all the more powerful.

The most interesting aspect of the play, however, is King’s self-doubt as a singer-songwriter; though this girl knows she can write one helluva song for others, she doesn’t believe she has what it takes to make it as a solo performer. But after she leaves Goffin and rediscovers her own inner confidence, King heads off to make a name for herself in California where we get to sit in the recording studio as she pours out her heart and soul for "Tapestry”, her Grammy-winning debut. A heartfelt performance of her legendary Carnegie Hall performance brings Act II to a close, but not before one final hurrah. As the cast comes out for a final bow, “I Feel the Earth Move” booms from the stage as audience members -- who are already standing in ovation -- dance along and become part of something truly spectacular. To the New York Times critic who said this show left him “exhausted”, you are alone.