Caroline, or Change
Caroline, or Change is a sung-through Broadway musical with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner and score by Jeanine Tesori, originally directed by George C. Wolfe.
The musical was first workshopped in May 1999 at New York's Public Theater. Director George C. Wolfe continued to workshop the musical at the Public Theater through 2003 when the show finally opened in 2003. After a successful run Off-Broadway, it transferred to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and ran from May 2 2004 to August 29 2004 for a total of 136 performances. Despite its relatively short run, it was critically acclaimed and nominated for several Tony Awards including Best Musical.
Plot
The musical is set in Lake Charles, Louisiana during the American civil rights movement, just before, after and during the Kennedy Assassination. The title character, 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. When Noah's stepmother, Rose, enlists Caroline's help in a plan to teach Noah a lesson about leaving change in his pants pocket, the tide of change begins to affect Caroline's life firsthand, and she must come to terms with the necessity and inevitability of the end of segregation.
The title Caroline, or Change has several meanings
Change
In the show, change means, a social change (which refers to Noah because he's really quiet when his mother dies) and also change as in pocket change (two meanings for this too: the change from Noah and caroline states "pocket change change me" meaning I wish I could take it back for something better.) There are all different kinds of change in the show -- the most obvious is the change in Noah's pocket. Caroline goes through a change also - treating her family better, understanding Noah better. Rose changes also - going from a Northerner to a Southerner. There's a change in time - they make a big deal about JFK dying because that was a historic change.
Cast
The opening night cast starred Tonya Pinkins as Caroline. Other cast members include Anika Noni Rose as Emmie Thibodeaux, Harrison Chad as Noah Gellman, and Chandra Wilson as Dotty Moffett.
Award nominations
Caroline, or Change was nominated for a total of 6 Tonys in 2004, winning one:
- Best Musical
- Best Book (Tony Kushner)
- Best Score (Jeanine Tesori)
- Best Actress (Tonya Pinkins)
- Best Featured Actress (Anika Noni Rose) - winner
- Best Direction (George C. Wolfe)