Caroline, or Change
A through-composed musical: Music - Jeanine Tesori:
Lyrics - Tony Kushner;
Book - Tony Kushner
Productions 2003 Off-Broadway
Eugene O'Niell Theatre, Broadway - May 2, 2004 to August 29, 2004 (136 performances)
National Theatre on the Lyttelton stage (in rep) October, 2006 - 4 January, 2007
Synopsis
The musical is set in Lake Charles, Louisiana during the American civil rights movement, just before, after and during the Kennedy Assassination.
Much of Caroline's work day passes in the Gellmans' laundry room, which adds some surprising singing characters to the cast – the washer, the drier, and the radio.
The title Caroline, Or Change has several meanings. The word 'change' is used in the sense of the change in Noah's pocket. Another sense is Caroline's tentative decision to quit her job. In addition, Noah goes through a social change after a family tragedy and Caroline changes by treating her family better and understanding Noah better. Finally, Rose changes from a Northerner to a Southerner. The nation changes as a result of JFK's death.
Story
Caroline Thibodeaux is a black maid for a Southern Jewish family, the Gellmans. The Gellmans' young son, Noah, is enamored of Caroline, a woman resistant to the sweep of change she sees around her. Their friendship has intensified since his mother's death. Noah's new stepmother Rose, unable to give Caroline a raise, enlists Caroline's help in a plan to teach Noah a lesson about leaving change in his pants pocket (since Caroline does the family's laundry as part of her duties). Rose tells Noah and Caroline that Caroline should keep the money Noah leaves in his pockets. Caroline is loathe to take money from a child – but her own children desperately need food, clothing and shoes.
The punishment goes awry when a $20 bill goes missing, and Caroline's relationship with Noah suffers a painful breakdown, causing a rift between her family and the Gellmans. With the death of JFK and the inspirational speeches of Martin Luther King, the tide of change begins to affect Caroline's life, and she must come to terms with racial turmoil and the end of segregation. But the upbeat ending, involving Caroline's daughter Emmie, portends hope for Caroline's community.
Cast
- Grandma Gellman
- Emmie Thibodeaux
- Noah
- The Moon
- Jackie and Joe Thibodeaux
- Dotty Moffett
- Rose Stopnick Gellman
- Stuart Gellman
- The Radio
- Grandpa Gellman
- The Radio
- Mr Stopnick
- Noah
- The Washing Machine
- Caroline
- The Bus
Musical Numbers
|
|
|