Carole King seems to have fans in high places: The singer-songwriter’s life will be staged with an eye toward Broadway, and next week her oeuvre will be honoured at the White House.
Officials announced Friday that President Obama will host a star-studded show for King, the first woman to receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
King is to receive the award during a concert Wednesday, with performances by Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sande, James Taylor, Trisha Yearwood and King herself.
The concert, an “In Performance at the White House” installment, is scheduled to be broadcast on PBS stations on May 28 and streamed live at www.whitehouse.gov.
King’s life and career serve as the inspiration for the Broadway-bound “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” which spans the singer’s Brooklyn beginnings, five-decade career and marriage to songwriter Gerry Goffin.
The biographical musical is to have an out-of-town tryout at San Francisco’s SHN Curran Theatre ahead of its Broadway debut, scheduled for next spring.
King’s and ex-husband Goffin’s catalog includes “You’ve Got a Friend,” “So Far Away” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman.”
