Singer creates musical show as tribute to duo The Carpenters

DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Michelle Berting Brett and her producer husband created a musical show called "We've Only Just Begun: Carpenters Remembered" to pay tribute to the beloved duo.

Karen Carpenter passed away in 1983, but her iconic voice and The Carpenters' music lives on.

Brett is currently on tour performing the show to celebrate the life and legacy of Downey's most famous residents.

"It's a love letter to The Carpenters," Brett said. "Karen was the face for the band, and she was the one that the audience connected to, but Richard was, I mean, such a musical genius."

Brett performs many of the group's big hits in the show including "We've Only Just Begun," "Close To You" and "Superstar."

"We don't do an impersonation in our show but definitely what we've tried to create is an absolute true representation of the arrangements that Karen and Richard did," Brett said.

Brett admitted that putting the show together was not an easy task because Karen Carpenter's singing ability was so effortless.

"She sang so simply and, as I like to say, she imbued every single word with so much emotion and really, as a result, those lyrics and those melodies just have a classic timelessness," Brett said.

The Bretts decided to create the show after Michelle expressed to her husband that it was her dream to do a live stage show featuring all of The Carpenters' music.

Eventually, Brett says she'd love to take the show on tour to other countries, get a residency at a Las Vegas hotel and maybe even Broadway.

"We don't have children. This is our baby," Brett said.

The musical show focuses mainly on the musical legacy of The Carpenters but will briefly touch on Karen Carpenters' passing.

"We've Only Just Begun: Carpenters Remembered" will make a tour stop at The Downey Civic Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m.