My early childhood was filled with sounds of the Laurel Canyon music scene emitting through the living room stereo speakers. This was the genre of my eldest sister Betsy, a lifelong fan of recording artists hailing from the Los Angeles neighborhood. During the 60s and 70s, high in the Hollywood Hills, a community garden of folk-rock artists sprouted, including Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, and later, Carole King and James Taylor. I can recall putting my Barbies aside to sit and study album covers like Carole King Tapestry; one of the first times I’d seen someone with curly hair like mine represented in popular culture.
Thanks to this musical home-schooling, I had a hunch that I’d know most of the songs performed at the world premiere of You’ve Still Got a Friend: A Musical Tribute to the Lives and Friendship of Carole King and James Taylor (Friend), conceived and directed by Seth Greenleaf, now playing at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea (TBTS) in Matunuck through September 13. Having also seen BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical at TBTS in the summer of 2023, I also figured I knew most of the lore. For fans of both artists, live music, back-stories, and trivia, this show is a treat.
Friend is not a jukebox musical, but an intimate concert; Allie Seibold and Hunter Brown tell the audience from the start that they are not portraying Carole King and James Taylor respectively, nor are they doing impressions; instead, each guides the audience through their artist's narrative while leading the songs tied to their legacy. Lyrics hit differently when you know the context, often prompting smiles, laughs, and tears.
As with any TBTS show, exceptional talent and live music are center-stage. Backup singer Charlie Wehde is endearing as he smiles warmly and sways with stage-partner Elizabeth Nestlerode, and musicians Sophie Amelkin on lead keyboard, Seth Eliser on lead guitar, Bobby Brennan on bass, and drummer Louis Tucci, all bring presence, often taking turns at the mic. Leads Seibold and Brown are dynamic and seemingly indefatigable as they run a 100-minute no-intermission set, imparting sentimental journeys before switching gears to perform alternately energetic and mellow numbers, all peppered with amiable banter.
To paraphrase Karen Kessler, TBTS general manager and press representative, who alongside owner/producer Bill Hanney, opened the show, “Nobody bought a ticket to hear you sing, so please be quiet and listen.” A chuckle echoed through the hundreds of filled seats of the historic barn theater, but we followed her directive. And then all belted out medleys of some of the 32 songs we just heard on our rides home. For tickets and showtimes visit TheatreByTheSea.com/friend.html
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