Grapevine

By PAUL GRAY/

HEARD MELODIES ARE SWEET. King, the much delayed London musical based on the life of the slain civil rights leader, has some high-powered talent, including opera singer Simon Estes in the title role and Maya Angelou as the principal lyricist. But the show's intention to portray Martin Luther King Jr.'s human side (although not, producers insist, his womanizing) nettled Coretta Scott King, who has legal rights over the commercial use of her husband's image in the U.S. To win back her support, the script is being substantially rewritten, with greater emphasis on King's leadership and (unsurprisingly) Coretta's historic role.

With reporting by DAVID ELLIS