Ohio native brings Carole King musical to Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – After an unprecedented intermission from live theater due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the actors and creative team of the Tony Award-winning show “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” said they are thrilled to be coming to Columbus this week.

The show will mark a homecoming of sorts for the musical’s lead actress, Ohio-native Sara Shephard.

“I always tell people, like, even if you think you don’t know Carole King’s music, I guarantee you do, you just don’t even know you do,” Shephard said.

Born and raised in Toledo, Shephard found a passion for theater at a young age.

“I started at the Toledo Repertory Theater, which is a community theatre downtown,” she said.

Shephard has been part of “Beautiful” since 2013. As the dance captain and understudy, she knows all the roles of the jukebox musical. It’s a show that tells the story of Carole King’s journey toward becoming a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter.

“We get a glimpse into her life and how all these songs that we know and love came to be,” Shephard said.

For the first time in her career, Shephard received the call to step into the role of King in the touring company of the show at the end of 2019. But within a few weeks, the pandemic forces all theater to go dark until the summer of 2021.

Shephard is a proud graduate of the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She’ll take the stage this Friday and Saturday at the Palace Theatre. Click here for ticket information.