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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 16, 2005 ‘Tapestry’ woven from the work of Carole King By Richard Moeschl Ashland Daily Tidings Promotional art for “Tapestry,” which opens Friday at Oregon Cabaret Theatre. Photo by Christopher Briscoe For its summer production, Oregon Cabaret Theatre is reaching into the treasure trove of hit songs that dominated the radio airwaves of the 1960s and 1970s. Among these are many tunes penned by Carol King. OCT will treat audiences to King’s repertoire when its new show “Tapestry: The Songs of Carole King” opens on June 17 for a run that will last until Sept. 4. King was — and still is — a prolific composer. Her music defined a generation and is still popular today, often turning up on movie soundtracks or TV commercials. The songs in the show are all vintage King. All of the music is by her, with lyrics by King and Gerry Goffin. “It’s a revue of Carol King songs,” said OCT’s Artistic Director Jim Giancarlo of the original format of the show he is directing and choreographing. “There’s no story, characters or dialogue. It’s a collection of songs grouped thematically, not chronologically.” But Giancarlo created a group of characters for the six performers to portray. “They’re like a group of 20-something friends,” he said. “We trace their lives through the songs, without adding any dialogue. We do it just by having them be consistent characters and having relationships.” Giancarlo is clear that he doesn’t want to impose a concept on the play. “If it is successful, the audience will not only have the enjoyment of the songs, but the extra enjoyment of having gone on a journey together.” To realize his idea, Giancarlo only had to cut one song, leaving the rest of the show intact. “We didn’t have to tweak it or mess with it,” he said. In the first act, the audience will be transported back to the late ’60s. The six characters are living in the same apartment building in New York City. They are full of the idealism of that era and their young ages. The second act visits the characters seven years later, around 1974. They have come together for a reunion, similar to the one featured in the movie “The Big Chill.” All the friends share their own stories. Two of the friends who had a courtship and a breakup in Act I now are together again and have a child. Comparing their former idealism with their present realism, they agree that it wasn’t quite as easy as they thought it would be to change the world. Some of them got a little burned in the process. “In a way, [the show] is about the times,” Giancarlo said. “It’s also about a time in your life.” What helped make these experiences so intense was that so many people were going through those things together. “It was part of a general idealism. Not only for that generation, but way more so, because the whole world was moving in that direction.” The songs are happy and spirited. The 1966 Summer of Love was followed in 1968 by the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy and the Tet Offensive. These events defined a generation that truly believed things would be better. “If you really worked at it, you could change the world,” Giancarlo said. The disenchantment that followed is revealed in the songs of King’s “Tapestry” album, which are more thoughtful and personal. A classmate of singer Neil Sedaka, Brooklyn-born Carole King began her songwriting career in the late ’50s. Sedaka wrote his hit “Oh, Carole” for her. She was a denizen of the famous Brill Building in New York City, a place dedicated to pop music with recording studios, record company offices and a warren of little studios where songwriters cranked out pop hits. King was very heavily influenced in her musical development by gospel music. She and Gerry Goffin (her husband at the time) had their first hit with “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” written for the Shirelles. This was quickly followed by such songs as “Take Good Care of My Baby” (Bobby Vee), “The Locomotion” (Little Eva, King’s babysitter), “One Fine Day” (The Chiffons), “Up On The Roof” (The Drifters), “Chains” (The Cookies), “Hey Girl” (Freddy Scott) and Aretha Franklin’s “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.” The team wrote hit after hit for a huge variety of pop singers and groups, and many of these songs have been covered by numerous other artists as well. By the 1970s, King was pursuing a solo singing career of her own. In 1971, she released the album “Tapestry,” which was one of the best-selling albums of the era and stayed on the charts for a phenomenal six years. Everyone owned this album and almost every song on it was a hit: “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” “I Feel The Earth Move,” “Way Over Yonder,” “Beautiful” and “Where You Lead,” to name a few. Also in 1971, the Carole King classic “You’ve Got a Friend” provided a huge hit for James Taylor. “Tapestry: The Songs of Carole King” features all of these songs and many more — a total of 44 songs. Cast members include Jessica Blaszak, who has appeared many times on the Cabaret stage in shows like “Suds,” “Something’s Afoot,” “Full Circle” and “Sing For Your Supper.” Returning to the Cabaret is Jimmy L. Garcia, who delighted audiences in “Four Guys Named Jose” last summer. Also returning is Marc Swan (”Forever Plaid,” “Snow White & Several Dweebs” and “Pageant”). Newcomers to the Cabaret are Nicole Boote and Michelle Gray, both of whom have appeared at many Seattle-area theaters, and Caleb Reese, who comes to Ashland from Phoenix, Ariz. Musical director and keyboard player for the back-up band is Jay Wright, percussionist is Jim Malachi and reed player is Eryn Vercammen of Portland. Set and lighting design are by Craig Hudson. Assistant lighting designer is Michael Stanfill. Costume design is by Kerri Lea Robbins, sound design by Frank Sullivan, wig design by Victoria King and props are by Roxanna Clover. Resident stage manager is Kathleen Mahoney. “Tapestry: The Songs of Carole King” has two low-priced previews at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. The regular production schedule is 8 p.m. Wednesday through Monday evenings as well as brunch matinees at 1 p.m. Sunday. Gourmet dinners and brunch available with advance reservations. Appetizers, beverages and desserts also available — no reservations needed. Tickets are $17 for previews; $21 for Sunday matinees; $22 and $24 for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings; and $26 and $28 for Friday and Saturday evenings. Tickets are available at the box office on First and Hargadine streets in Ashland (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. daily except Tuesdays (closed) and Sundays (open at 4 p.m.) or by calling 488-2902. It is now also possible to download an order form at www.oregoncabaret.com that can then be faxed to 488-8795. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams