What initially drew you to the role of Carole King in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”?
From an actor perspective, Carole King is a great role to play because she gets to sing some of the most iconic songs and her scenes build well so you get to see her grow and change throughout the show. Also, I was drawn to playing someone so influential in American music history!
How do you prepare yourself to portray such an iconic figure like Carole King on stage?
What’s so great about playing a famous person is that there are a plethora of resources to draw from! I started by listening to Carole King’s discography and getting a sense for her style and sound. I also watched recorded concerts of hers to see how she transformed those songs to the stage and pick up her performing habits. Then, I watched TV interviews of her to see how she she spoke and interacted with people. Lastly, I read her autobiography “A Natural Woman” to understand her POV on how her life events shaped her. Many of the events in the book correlate with the events in the show so that gave me an accurate perspective on how to play those moments.
What aspects of Carole King’s personality do you find most intriguing or challenging to embody?
Carole King accomplished so much while she was so young. By the time she was 18 she’d already attended college, wrote a #1 Billboard hit, was married, and had her first child. I’m 24 and have ONLY graduated college. Me and Carole’s young adult experience may be different, but I think that’s the most amazing and challenging thing about playing her.
“Beautiful” covers a significant portion of Carole King’s life and career. How do you navigate portraying her evolution as an artist and as a person throughout the show?
Carole finding her voice as an artist and as a person is what this show is really about. For that reason, one of the ways I show her evolution is by changing her voice. In the beginning, I use a higher pitched speaking voice to reflect her youth and naïveté. Also, at the start she hasn’t really developed performing skills yet, so her emotions get in the way of the singing. For example, she gets shy performing in front of a lot of people and that is reflected in my voice with a quiver. Then as life happens and hurt happens, I deepen her voice. It becomes more natural and womanly. She also grows as a performer and that is reflected in singing more confidently.
Carole King’s music is beloved by many. How do you ensure you do justice to her iconic songs while still bringing your own interpretation to them?
Carole’s music is so iconic and beloved because her writing is excellent and it connects with people. As a performer, it’s a gift when you get to sing well written material because the songs do a lot the work for you! For that reason, I’m keeping things simple so that her melody and lyrics are at the forefront and I’m hoping that will allow the songs (and hopefully me) to shine.
Carole King’s story is one of resilience and triumph. How do you convey her strength and determination through your performance?
One of the things I find so interesting about Carole King is that her strength is sort of quiet. She goes through so much, but comes out of it with grace. I think I best convey this in the final scene of the show when Gerry (Carole’s ex-husband) apologies for his bad behavior and I respond, “You know Ger, you made a lot of mistakes. But, we made two beautiful children and our songs and that’s something to be proud of.” What I think is so beautiful about this is that she doesn’t excuse his behavior so she’s standing up for herself, but also she’s willing to look past the hardship to focus on the good. I think that’s a really hard thing to do and that’s what makes her strong.
What do you hope audiences take away from your portrayal of Carole King in “Beautiful”?
I hope that audiences see through Carole’s story that even though life may not always go as planned it can still turn out beautiful!
BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL is running at the Historic Dock Street Theatre from April 10-28, 2024. Click HERE to book your seats.
ELIZA KNODE (Carole King)
Eliza is excited to return to Charleston Stage as a Resident Actor for their 46th Season! Some of her previous CS credits include: The Addams Family (Morticia), JFK and Inga Binga (Inga Arvad), and The Lightning Thief (Sally Jackson). Eliza is the daughter of a diplomat and had a unique upbringing. She grew up in Malaysia, Japan, Hungary, Long Island, and Brazil. She went on to earn her B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Miami. Eliza would like to extend love and gratitude to her family, friends, and teachers around the globe who support her. Website: www.elizaknode.com Instagram: @eliza.knode