Kathryn Boswell (left), Kyra Kennedy, Nick Moultin and Jeff Sullivan will star in Maine State Music Theatre’s production of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” The show opens Wednesday, Aug. 7. Photo courtesy of Maine State Music Theatre

Maine State Music Theatre is gearing up to debut its final production of  the season, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” at Pickard Theater Wednesday, Aug. 7.

After months of performances, including “South Pacific,” “Funny Girl” and, most recently, “White Christmas,” MSMT is closing out its musical season with a chronicle of the songwriter’s rise to fame. Describing the show as a “sensational finale,” the MSMT said the production will feature many of King’s classics, such as “Natural Woman” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”

Carole King — formerly Carole Klein — was a songwriter from Brooklyn and is widely regarded as one of the most successful songwriters in the U.S. In her career, she had a hand in writing over 100 hits recognized on the Billboard 100.

The musical, based on a book written by Douglas McGrath, features music written by King and her ex-husband and lyricist Gerry Goffin, as well as husband-and-wife songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

Kyra Kennedy, who plays King and is making her MSMT debut, said she grew up with King’s hits in her tiny home in Oklahoma. Though she is familiar with King’s work, she said that doing this show constantly reveals news ways in which King touched the music industry.

“What’s inspiring to me, especially diving into this role, is not only how she changed the music industry completely but also inspired so many of the artists we love today,” Kennedy said. “Without Carole, there would be not Norah Jones, there would be no Sara Bareilles, there would be no Michelle Branch, and et cetera et cetera.”

Nick Moulton, who plays Barry Mann, grew up as a musician familiar with King’s work. He said King, who credits the Black community for influencing much of her work, was a powerful female singer-songwriter who also uplifted artists of color.

“For me, this music is not only a vehicle of nostalgia for me, but it is also a vehicle of power,” Moulton said.

The making of the show

A majority of the “Beautiful” cast has done the show before, Moulton said. For the most part, production involved working to make the MSMT show their own, which entailed a deep dive into each others’ characters.

Kyra Kennedy (left), who plays Carole King in the show, will perform at MSMT for the first time. Jeff Sullivan (right) will play King’s ex-husband, Gerry Goffin. Courtesy of Maine State Music Theatre

For some, this meant striking a balance between working on a complex character in “Beautiful” during the day while performing in an entirely different role at night. Jeff Sullivan, for instance, plays King’s ex-husband Gerry Goffin, who is notorious for having an affair.

Working on this role during the day starkly contrasted with his more cheerful role in MSMT’s “White Christmas,” where he played the fun-loving Ralph Sheldrake, an army man turned TV executive. For the unlucky ones who did not catch it, Sullivan also tap-danced on top of pianos in a jaw-dropping rendition of “I Love a Piano” in the show.

For others, creating a more MSMT-specific show meant exploring how each actor approached their role. Moulton said that Director and Choreographer Parker Esse had the actors do character improvisation exercises to better understand each other’s creative process.

“Not only did that help us see sort of how the cogs are turning, but it allows us to see what’s important to that character. So that allows us to then play to those strengths or maybe weaknesses — things that they really tied to, things that they have a hard time bringing themselves to — in order to do that,” he said.

Kathryn Boswell, who will play Cynthia Weil for the third time in her career, said that the show has also created space for the actors to try new things and build comradery. Boswell’s character also inspires her, she said, as Weil, who is full of passion and moxie, reminds Boswell to put her shoulders down and stand tall.

“I will say that every single time I’ve revisited [this musical], I’m reminded that there’s such a joy and play that exists in this show that doesn’t exist in other musicals. And I think that’s why I’m constantly coming back to it,” she said. “Because it feels kind of like home.”

Kennedy also said the show has been healing in many ways. The actress finally got to play King at Paper Mill Playhouse Theater in New Jersey last month, following years of working towards the role.

“I’ve been auditioning for this for a decade, so even though I’ve never done it before, I’ve been off-book for the last decade,” she joked.

Working with the cast at MSMT was also like “adult summer camp,” given the connections she’s made during her time here. Not only is the show they created special, she said, but the relationships built within the cast are deep.

“Our job is so fleeting and it can be so hard to make those connections,” she said, also noting she’s been away from home for about 10 months. “To find real connections in a show that also means so much and I feel so deeply connected to feels pretty special and, I think, rare.”

The production will run from Aug. 7-24. Tickets can be purchased at msmt.org or by calling the box office at 725-8769.