WE first see Carole King on stage at Carnegie Hall with self-doubts musing out loud how this Brooklyn girl got there?

Answer (as we find out) for the next two-and-a-half hours is her sheer talent, determination and image change.

Tapestry made in 1971 - one of the most loved and critically-acclaimed of all solo albums by any artist - has become a bench mark for many singer-songwriters.

So how did Carole King become queen of the love-gone- wrong ballad and the three minute pop hit?

It is then flashback time when we see this shy, sweet sixteen school sell her songs.

It Might as Well Rain Until September played on piano an early indication of her gift for melody and, through her lyrics, an ability to connect with love-lorn youngsters.

We see her team up with ... fall in love with a ... and marry lyric writer the egotistical Gerry Goffin - her partner in rhyme and a man who wrote some very upbeat lyrics despite a frequently down-beat and two-timing nature.

Kane Oliver Parry plays the enigmatic Goffin with the right balance of charisma and a darker side to his personality Goffin-King became one of the great songwriting partnerships.

Enter another dynamic duo in bubbly Cynthia Weil and hypochondriac Barry Mann yet together, they too made sweet music.

This show discovers their rivalry as each race for the Billboard charts.

This is a 27 song-packed production featuring songs which became hits for other stars from Little Eva (Locomotion) The Drifters (Up On the Roof) and The Shirelles (One Fine Day).

The large ensemble cast present nostalgic song and dance arrangements of these timeless numbers.

Bronte Barbe is both sensitive and feisty as the increasingly confident Carole who matures through many emotional experiences to craft such classics as You've Got a Friend; It's Too Late and the uplifting title track from this equally uplifting show.

A rousing (You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural woman deserved the standing ovation.

Slick and stylish - four stars

The show is on until Saturday.

Tickets from 0844 8713017