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Carole King: In Words & Music

03/05/2026
75 min
[video_views]

55 years after Tapestry transformed popular music, selling 30 million copies, we celebrate one of its greatest icons. Edward Seckerson, host of our recent tributes to Richard Rogers and Leonard Bernstein, talks to formerForward editor Jane Eisner about her Jewish Lives biography Carole King: She Made the Earth Move. And performing some of her classic songs we have Olivier-winner Cassidy Janson, who starred in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in the West End, bringing Carole to tears, before dueting with her in Hyde Park to 65,000 fans.

About the speakers

Cassidy Janson

Cassidy Janson is a British actress, known for her work in musical theatre. She won the 2020 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for & Juliet. She played Carole King in Beautiful, at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End from November 2015 to August 2017, to rave reviews from audiences and […]
XinRu Chen

Dr. XinRu Chen is a pianist and scholar known for her expressive artistry and compelling performances. Between 2023 and 2024, she gave more than ninety concerts across continents, earning acclaim from The Guardian for her “fistfuls of notes, played with bravura execution and effortless command.” Her performances have appeared at major venues throughout the UK, […]
Jane Eisner

Jane Eisner is a widely published journalist who held leadership positions at the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Forward. She is the author of Taking Back the Vote. Eisner lives in New York City. Image © Nancy Adler Photography
Edward Seckerson

Formerly Chief Classical Music and Opera critic of The Independent newspaper, writer, broadcaster, podcaster, and musical theatre aficionado; Edward Seckerson wrote and presented the BBC Radio 3 series Stage & Screen, in which he interviewed many prominent writers and stars of musical theatre. He produces podcasts of interviews with musical and theatrical artists and appears on the […]

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Carole King: In Words & Music

03/05/2026
|
75 min

Speaker

Cassidy Janson

Read More

Cassidy Janson is a British actress, known for her work in musical theatre. She won the 2020 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in...

XinRu Chen

Read More

Dr. XinRu Chen is a pianist and scholar known for her expressive artistry and compelling performances. Between 2023 and 2024, she gave more than...

Jane Eisner

Read More

Jane Eisner is a widely published journalist who held leadership positions at the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Forward. She is the author of Taking...

Edward Seckerson

Read More

Formerly Chief Classical Music and Opera critic of The Independent newspaper, writer, broadcaster, podcaster, and musical theatre aficionado; Edward Seckerson wrote and presented the...