While the Robinson is prepping for the next Broadway musical to grace its stage (“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”) we chatted with Sarah Goeke, the actress who plays Cynthia Weil in the production.
The musical “Beautiful” follows the story of Carole King, composer and singer/songwriter famous for songs like “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” to name a few. Songwriting legends like King’s former husband Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil (Goeke’s character) and Barry Mann also weave their way into the remarkable story of King’s rise from songwriter to major solo artist.
Before the final Celebrity Attractions Broadway musical rolls into town on May 29, we talked with Goeke about all things “Beautiful,” her career and what she likes to do to relax while on the road.
Tell me a little about yourself. How did you get started singing, dancing and performing?
I’m from Missouri, which is only like four hours from Little Rock. I actually started performing when I was very young. My parents are both singers. When I was 7, I was in my first opera. It was “H.M.S. Pinafore” at Southwest Missouri State University.
Then when I got to college, it was just something I couldn’t say “no” to. I love doing it. It makes me feel so at ease and normal to be performing. I went to University of Missouri Kansas City because there’s a conservatory there and I actually majored in vocal choral, which is like opera. I don’t do very much of it anymore, but it was wonderful training for me.
When I was there, I realized I needed more training either to become a voice teacher or to become a better performer. I was able to get into the program at Michigan State University and I got a master’s in fine arts in acting. I hadn’t ever thought of moving to New York City. It seemed kind of ridiculous because I grew up in a small town in Cape Girardeau, but I had worked hard to grow myself as a performer that I thought if not, then maybe it’s never. So I went. I was there for two years before I booked this. It was fascinating and incredible two years and also the most tragic and difficult two years and totally worth it.
What have been some of your favorite roles over the years?
That’s a difficult one because I think they’re all so challenging and rewarding. I was just talking about this with somebody in Cape Girardeau that one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever done was “The Odd Couple,” the female version, in high school. Not because of the show itself but the women I was in that show with in high school, almost all of them are still involved in the arts. One is on the arts council, one is an editor of a women’s magazine, one of them’s a designer in St. Louis. When I think back on what we were at 16 or 17 and how we’re all still so passionate about it, it just makes me feel so full.
What do you love the most about being on stage?
I love making people laugh. I was going to say something about transformation or something, but honestly, I always want to make people laugh. It’s something that makes me feel comfortable or that I’m adding to the ease of the situation. Making people laugh or making people forget where they are for a second is my favorite part of being on stage.
Tell me a little about “Beautiful.” Were you familiar with Carole King’s story before working in the production?
I was familiar with “Tapestry” and I feel like a lot of people were familiar with that part of her life. That’s when she started performing her own pieces. But I wasn’t familiar with her savant childhood. She started writing top hits when she was 16 or 17. She wasn’t performing then but she was the writer on a lot of songs that we all knew by the people who sang them. She wrote “Will You Still Love Me?” when she was 17 years old. There’s so much about her early teen years that I just completely didn’t know. And I’m just fascinated by her genius and talent at such a young, young age. That’s the part I definitely didn’t know about.
What about “Beautiful” as a whole? What do you think the audience will be most moved by when they see it?
I think that a lot of people, like my mom when she saw the show, I think they really connected to “Tapestry” and they really felt seen and heard as teens or young adults. I still think that’s how we feel about music. I still think it connects us to people or our time in a way that you feel like you’re not alone. When you listen to a certain song you feel like you have someone rooting for you or someone who understands you. Especially now with technology, that feeling is so hard to find. That’s what they felt with “Tapestry,” and when they hear those songs, they love them.
But then also seeing her life and seeing the life behind these incredible songs and the inspiration behind these hits that were so beautiful and delicate at the time. They were so nuanced and specific and simple. We get to see where that came from, the genesis of it, and people are just blown away by the songs she wrote that they didn’t even know she wrote.
Tell me a little about your character. Who is she?
I play Cynthia Weil, who is Carole King’s best friend and a writer in the same building that Carole King works in. They were writing at the same time. Carole King was writing with Gerry Goffin and Cynthia Weil was writing with Barry Mann. They loved their work and during the show you get to see them be competitive with each other, but they’re also each other’s best friends. You have this really beautiful female relationship that I love to do every night with Sarah Bockel.
[Cynthia Weil] is this incredibly prolific writer. In real life, this woman is still writing, still creating. You get to see in the ’50s and ’60s what Cynthia Weil was doing and what her life was like working in this building where they’re just churning out these hits. They wrote “On Broadway,” “Walking in the Rain,” they wrote so many amazing hits that again, you don’t really know that they wrote because they didn’t perform them.
What do you look forward to getting to do in this production every night?
In the beginning, I was so nervous because Cynthia Weil is with us. She’s so incredibly smart and witty and gorgeous and perfect and I wanted to play her to the best of my abilities. So I was very nervous about that. But now, getting to play this accomplished, very present, very witty person is such a joy to get to step into those shoes every night. I look forward to it and I feel like it’s really taught me a lot about how to be a strong woman in this career and how to stand up for myself and speak well. I love getting to play Cynthia every night.
And I can’t even find a good word to describe my coworkers. Coming to work every night with people who are so down-to-earth, so talented and so all-around good, honest, loving people is truly … I can’t even express how lucky I am. I’m so lucky. People just help each other out so much on the road. It’s been amazing to see the friendship people grow out here on the road where we’re kind of all each other have.
When you’re not touring, what are your favorite things to do?
I miss Astoria. I’m not at home right now so it’s the first thing I thought of. I live in Astoria, New York, with my husband and I love our sweet neighborhood. I love going running in the park, I love running around Manhattan. And one of my favorite ways to get to know the city we’re in on the road is by taking a 2- to 3-mile run. I also love reading. I’m trying in the last few weeks of the tour to read a book a week because I have more time than I usually do in New York where everybody’s working ten jobs. I think that reading and writing are two of my favorite things. And eating. I really, really love eating.
What are some ways you like to relax while on the road?
I love getting to take a slow meal out in the city that I’m at. I eat well before the show so I’m usually eating around 3:30 or 4:30 so I spend some time on Yelp to find the places the locals love and go and sit for a few hours in a nice restaurant and eat some quality food that’s local. I know, I just love to eat. Maybe that’s where the running came from. I don’t know which started first. So yeah, I eat and run.
The musical will hit the Robinson stage on May 29 and play through June 3 with various showtimes during those days. To purchase tickets or to learn more about “Beautiful,” head to the Celebrity Attractions’ website. You can also keep up with all things Broadway by following along on Facebook.