arts & life

Julia Knitel as Carole King

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

theater

Ben Fankhauser as Barry Mann and Erika
Olson as Cynthia Weil

apestry
T

C

amp Tamarack alums
who bunked with Ben
Fankhauser got to see this
real-life music man back in the day.
Now, they’ll get to see his talents on
the big-time stage.
Fankhauser, 27 and a longtime
camper from the time he was 11,
holds a starring role in the touring
production of Beautiful — The
Carole King Musical running Dec.
13-Jan. 8 at the Fisher Theatre.

Beatles John Lennon and Paul
McCartney once said they wanted
to be songwriters like Carole King
(in photo) and Gerry Goffin .

details

Beautiful — The Carole King
Musical runs Dec. 13-Jan. 8, at the
Fisher Theatre in Detroit. Tickets
start at $39. (313) 872-1000;
broadwayindetroit.com.

46 December 1 • 2016

He portrays Barry Mann, another
songwriter of the 1960s who
became a friend and competitor of
the celebrated hit maker.
The production, without any
outright Jewish content, spotlights
four Jewish songwriters, including
Gerry Goffin, King’s husband and
writing partner, and Cynthia Weil,

PHOTO BY JIM MCCRARY

Celebrating the life
and music of Carole
King, Beautiful brings
one of its stars, a
Tamarack alum, back
to Michigan.

Mann’s wife and writing partner —
all making their entry into fame.
“I attended Camp Tamarack for
many years,” Fankhauser says in a
phone conversation from the road.
“My mom [Binnie Gun] is from
Michigan. I think my uncle went to
Tamarack, and that’s how my mom
knew to send me there.
“I sang and danced at camp and
did all the plays. Anyone who went
to camp with me knows I was a
song-and-dance man then. I’m
friends with a lot of campers on
Facebook, and I hope to see some
of my old buddies. For sure, I will
see family.”
Fankhauser, who grew up in
Ohio and had his bar mitzvah
there, is related to Gun family
members still in Michigan. Touring
with this Tony and Grammy
Award-winning show for over a
year, he looks forward to reunions
with relatives.
Fankhauser’s visit to Michigan
awakens memories of family his-
tory. He is reminded of his late
grandparents, Manya and Anszel
Gun, Holocaust survivors who
came to Detroit from Poland after
the war and built business success
in scrap metal.
“Audiences see a beautifully
crafted show based in reality with
lovely production numbers recall-
ing favorite groups of the day like
the Shirelles and the Drifters,” he
says.
“Audiences get to hear the begin-

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

Suzanne Chessler | Contributing Writer

King and Goffin co-wrote “Some Kind of Wonderful,”
sung by the Drifters in a scene from the play.

nings of all the music they know.
They get to see and hear the song-
writers work out what each song is
going to be, and they get to see the
songs in full orchestrated produc-
tion.
“What I love most about the
show is that people inevitably
attach a sense of nostalgia to the
story. That connects them so deep-
ly. Everyone has special memories
of the songs.”
Among the hits being per-
formed, in addition to the title
song, will be “I Feel the Earth
Move,” “One Fine Day,” “(You
Make Me Feel Like) A Natural
Woman” and “You’ve Got a
Friend.” Fankhauser’s many num-
bers include “We Gotta Get Out
of This Place,” made famous by
the Animals, and “Walking in
the Rain,” made famous by the
Ronettes.
“Lately, with the current political
climate, there’s new meaning in the
lyrics for ‘We Gotta Get Out of This

Place,’” he says. “That song was
written at the time of the Vietnam
War, and I’ve heard stories of vets
being overseas and blasting that
song whenever it would come on.
“That song was about times
changing and people wanting to
put down the system and get out of
an unhappy, war-filled time. I think
the lyrics are pretty poignant today
with this election.”
Fankhauser, who appeared at
the Fisher Theatre six years ago
with the musical Spring Awakening,
began his career interests at a
theater day camp in Ohio when he
was 8. He instantly connected with
the energy, storytelling, audiences
and sense of community.
Besides going on to school pro-
ductions, he researched theater
operations and read plays and
musicals. Ithaca College was cho-
sen for his theater major.
“I auditioned in New York while
at Ithaca, and it just so happens I
got into the first national tour of