Caroline, or Change

Juicelog Tues 171006: Taking up half off Row O tonight a group of us went to check out Caroline, or Change at the National Theatre. Written by Tony Kushner (who gave us the brilliant Angels in America) this musical touches upon the civil rights movement in the Southern states around the time of the John F. Kennedy assassination.

Caroline is a black maid who works for a Louisiana Jewish family, the Gellmans. As well as being a stoical and uncompromising woman, she is also a divorced mother of three. During the play we get to see how Caroline develops an awkward relationship with Noah (the young son of this family). With the death of his mother, Noah looks up to Caroline as a mother figure and idol. Offering no solace to his son, Noah’s father deals with his loss by playing the clarinet. Rose (Noah’s step-mom) is struggling to develop her relationship with Noah. She attempts to assert her authority with trying to teach Noah a lesson, by allowing Caroline to keep any money she finds in Noah's pockets whilst doing the laundry.

Rose’s Marxist-like decision eventually leads to the deterioration between Caroline and the Gellmans. The money soon arouses within Caroline an inner battle between pride and financial need. A battle ensues between Caroline and Noah when she refuses to give him back $20. This mini battle paints a portrait of the complex relationships between blacks and Jews and the issues of economic and racial equality during this period of time. There is a suggestion that blacks and Jews have never really seen eye-to-eye even on topics such as the death of JFK. The Gellmans see Kennedy's as a martyr whilst Caroline's daughter views him as a disappointment and broken promise.

Musically, it is a modern opera in parts mixed in with gospel and Motown throughout the fragmented sung through score. I felt that the various song styles (which included 1960’s, Christmas and Hannukah music) didn’t always connect with the characters that well. The parts where it did work was with the Gellmans chit-chat, Caroline’s rebellious daughter and the glamorous Supremes-like trio.

Caroline, or change is definitely an acquired taste.