Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Fri & Sat Evenings)

Before Tapestry, before the Grammys, she was Carole Klein from Brooklyn with a demo and a lot of nerve.

Beautiful traces Carole King from teenage songwriter turning out hits for the biggest acts in music through to the moment she stepped out front and made the record that changed everything. The book is by the late Douglas McGrath, Oscar and Tony nominated, and the score is simply the catalogue: You've Got a Friend, One Fine Day, So Far Away, Take Good Care of My Baby, Up on the Roof, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Natural Woman. It won both a Tony and a Grammy, and it does the rare thing of having a story worth the songs.

Make a night of it. An eight o'clock curtain leaves room for dinner in Ridgefield first.

Good to know. Rated PG and recommended for ages 8 and up, which makes this the one show of A.C.T.'s season you can bring the whole family to.

Where to go. A.C.T. of CT at 36 Old Quarry Road.