A 'Beautiful' thing: Vanessa Carlton to play Carole King in hit musical

Vanessa Carlton, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter best known for her hit single "A Thousand Miles," will take over the lead role in "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" on June 27 for a 10-week run at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

"It's a privilege to tell Carole's story," said Carlton in a statement. "She wasn't just a great pianist and writer, she was on the frontier of women in power positions in the music industry," she said, lauding King's courage and sacrifice.

The musical has been running for more than five years on Broadway, with Jessie Mueller winning the Tony Award for best actress in a musical in 2014. Others who've stepped into that role, performing hits such as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," "It's Too Late" and "Natural Woman," include Mueller's sister, Abby, and "Supergirl" star Melissa Benoist.

To celebrate her Broadway debut, Carlton recorded a video mashup of "A Thousand Miles" and King's classic "Beautiful," which can be seen at People.com.