It’s not often that a play is nominated for six Tony Awards after only three months on Broadway. However, Caroline, or Change, written by Tony Kushner and composed by Jeanine Tesori, did just that in 2004. Now it’s at Raleigh Little Theatre and will run through March 2.
As the name implies, Caroline, or Change is a musical about change, both in the pocket-money sense and in the transformative sense. Set in 1963 during the civil rights movement and the assassination of President Kennedy, the play is about Caroline Thibodeaux (Lora Tatum), the black maid of a southern, Jewish family, the Gellmans.
When we meet Caroline, she is in the basement of the Gellmans’ house doing laundry. This basement will serve as the setting for much of the play, including the setting for Caroline’s personal purgatory as she struggles to deal with the changes taking place around her.
Even when there are no other humans around, Caroline can count on the company of the radio, the washing machine, the antagonistic dryer and occasionally the moon.
Actors personify all of these objects on stage and serve to add discourse to Caroline’s internal emotions. The moon is soothing, tending to assuage the fears of Caroline and other characters.
Only Caroline communicates directly with the appliances, which act as the different parts of her conscience. The washing machine is optimistic, and urges Caroline to do what she believes is right. The dryer torments Caroline, digging up guilt just as quickly as she is able to forget it.
Noah Gellman is the second character we meet. He is the son of the detached Stuart Gellman, for whom Caroline works. Prior to the play’s beginning, Noah’s mother dies and, as a result, Noah becomes attached to Caroline, though she never seems to return the sentiment.
Noah is a forgetful child, frequently leaving change in the pockets of his pants, much to the frustration of his stepmother, Rose. In an attempt to teach him a lesson, Stuart and Rose give Noah a sizable allowance of $1.50 per week, and tell Caroline to keep any change she finds in his pants pockets.
All the while, Caroline is struggling at home with four children to feed, the oldest of which is very high strung and in support of the civil rights movement, and a husband away at war in Vietnam.
All this is the catalyst for the change that puts the Gellman and Thibodeaux families to the test in an already stressful period for the American populace.
Musical numbers complemented the tense atmosphere, which tend to be sweeping, complex and moody – rather than poppy and upbeat like many other Broadway musicals.
The music takes on many forms and incorporates elements of jazz, Motown and traditional Jewish music.
The singing is equally impressive, especially that of Tatum. The voices of all the actors fill the room and then some, often giving the impression that the play is actually an opera.
Caroline, or Change is a remarkable play in every aspect. The technical abilities of the actors and the writing weave themselves together in a way that is emotionally impactful and stands tribute to the strength of the human spirit.
