Carole King’s songbook brought to life on stage
Up On The Roof - The Carole King Songbook is currently on at Theatre on the Bay.
In this show, which brings the journey of Carole King to the stage, audiences can expect to hear all of King’s greatest hits, each song a testament to her life experiences, including those composed while her children were asleep.
“I did not grow up with Carole King, but discovered her music and lyrics in my late twenties,” says musical director Wessel Odendaal.
“Her lyrics are meaningful and fragile and has a theatrical sensibility about them. I liked the idea of turning each song into an episodic musical moment which our cast could then impress their own life experience on,” he added.
Not many people know just how many hit songs Carole King wrote. Her second album, Tapestry, has been certified platinum 14 times and sold an estimated 30 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Up On The Roof - The Carole King Songbook honours her journey as a music legend and storyteller. In 1957, King, then a 15-year-old pianist, embarked on her musical odyssey, a Brooklyn teenager who had witnessed the genesis of rock ’n roll while growing up, and wondered if she could be a part of it. Her determination and undeniable talent led her to sign her first contract with ABC-Paramount that same year.
Renowned for her extraordinary contributions to the music industry, King not only wrote for herself, but also wrote hundreds of hit songs for other artists. Her compositions have left an indelible mark with iconic songs such as Aretha Franklin’s You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman, Little Eva’s The Locomotion and the Shirelles’ Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.
The cast comprises six multi-talented South African women who have appeared in touring productions around the world. They are Ashleigh Butcher (bass, guitar, ukelele), Louise Duhain (piano/keyboards), Angelica Hattingh (guitar), Sanli Jooste (cello), Neo Motaung (percussion) and Tiisetso Sefatsa (percussion).
Performances run Tuesdays to Fridays at 8pm until Saturday October 21 with two shows on a Saturday at 3pm and 8pm and tickets costing from R150 to R300 through Webtickets.