Pittsburgh CLO Opens 2026 Summer Season with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at Benedum Center
When the lights dimmed on June 23 at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts, Pittsburgh’s Civic Light Opera (CLO) launched its 80th summer season and the first production under the new PNC sponsorship with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. The six‑night run, scheduled to close on June 28, invites audiences to follow a teenage songwriter from Brooklyn to one of America’s most celebrated singer‑songwriters.
Beautiful is a jukebox biopic that charts Carole King’s ascent from her early days at Aldon Music in 1958 to her partnership with husband Gerry Goffin, and her friendships with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Douglas McGrath’s book weaves these relationships into a narrative that frames King’s familiar hits, while the score pulls from her catalog of chart‑topping songs—both those written for other artists and her own solo work.
The CLO announced the cast and creative team ahead of the June run, though the lineup has not yet been disclosed in the public release. A review from BroadwayWorld noted that the book gives the production depth beyond a simple revue, allowing audiences to feel the emotional weight of King’s career milestones.
The Beautiful opening is part of a broader slate that includes Mean Girls (July 7‑12), Suffs (July 21‑26), Superunknown: The Premier Tribute to Chris Cornell (July 10), a Fleetwood Blues Festival of Pennsylvania (August 23), a Bruno Mars & DJ Pee.Wee concert (August 29), Hadestown (Non‑Equity) (Oct 27‑Nov 1), The British Invasion Years (July 26), an MTV Unplugged Tribute Band at Sherman Showcase (July 11), and Golden Girls The Laughs Continue (Oct 2‑3). The season showcases a mix of classic revivals, contemporary hits, and tribute concerts, reflecting the CLO’s mission to present diverse musical theatre experiences.
Carole King, born Carol Joan Klein in 1942, has written or co‑written 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and 61 that reached the UK charts. Her 1971 album Tapestry topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks and remains one of the best‑selling albums by a female artist. King’s influence on pop and rock songwriting earned her four Grammy Awards, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors.
The Beautiful production at the Benedum Center therefore serves as a tribute to King’s enduring legacy while providing Pittsburgh audiences with a new musical experience. The show’s run concludes on June 28, after which the CLO will transition to the next entry in its summer lineup.
