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Caroline, or Change
Book and Lyrics by Tony Kushner
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Music Direction & Orchestral Reductions by Doug Peck
Directed by Charles Newell
At Court Theatre
5535 S. Ellis
Chicago, IL
Call 773-753-4472; www.courttheatre.org
Tickets $32 - $60
Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30 pm
Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 3 & 8 pm
Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 50 minutes with intermission
Through October 26, 2008
E. Faye Butler gives a tour de force performance as Caroline in Kusher & Tesori’s chamber opera.
I have extremely mixed feelings about Tony Kusher and Jeannine Tesori’s chamber opera “Caroline or Change” now in its Chicago premiere at Court Theatre in Hyde Park. Part of me grew frustrated by the sung through style that found the blending of blues, gospel, jazz and pop-rock music and traditional Jewish melodies with singing styles that produced both powerful arias and garbled group singing. Some of the lyrics were crystal clear (especially from the fabulous E. Faye Butler) and some lyrics were difficult to understand (especially when two or more singers sang competing lyrics). As with most Tony Kusher works, “Caroline or Change” ambitiously tries to cover too much and is over written. At nearly three hours, it is about a half hour too long. The book can be a tad confusing emphasizing trivial matters that are really underscored major themes. The addition of a couple of children’s songs didn’t fit the show. The sung through operatic style wears me out rendering some of the sung dialogue (especially by the Gellman’s) in a ‘sing-songy’ irritating manner.
Having said that, I was moved by the complexity of the show that, at first glance, seems common. We see the story of Caroline (E. Faye Butler in a monumentally grand performance) in St. Charles, Louisiana in 1963 as she is employed as a maid. She spends much of her time in the basement of the Gellman household doing their laundry. Kushner blends reality with fantasy in this unique chamber opera. We hear a washing machine sing, three Supremes-like singers channel Motown and the Moon chimes in with song also. When Caroline finds coins that 8-year-old Noah Gellman (Malcolm Durning in a fine performance) carelessly leaves in his pockets are more than spare change to Caroline, the African-American housekeeper. She deposits the coins in the bleach cup. Noah, still depressed about his mother’s death from cancer, befriends Caroline. Their friendship ritual of Noah lighting Caroline’s lone daily cigarette connects them. Noah is based upon Kusher’s experience growing up in Louisiana. E. Faye Butler sings several arias about her sadness about being a $30 per week maid. She exemplifies “the queen of keep-at-bay” belief system still dominant in Southern Blacks in 1963. Butler soars here with her heart wrenchingly powerful arias. Her voice reaches the stratosphere several times. Her performance alone justifies seeing “Caroline or Change.” The blues, gospel and R & B styles tell Caroline’s story as it establishes her as a courageous, unbending and embittered woman. She strives to raise her four children (three at home and one in Viet Nam) but she is fearful of all the social and political change happening in 1963 America. She is trapped in her position since there is security in her basement laundry room. The coins do become a source for the little extras her children appreciate. She struggles with the urging of her friend Dotty Moffett (Jacqueline Williams) to change her thinking and her circumstances.
When the stepmother Rose Stopnick Gellmen (Kate Fry) takes over the Gellman household, she instructs Caroline to keep the change (the coins) she finds in Noah’s dirty clothing. Rose struggles to get close to Noah who still can’t get over his mother’s death. Add Stuart Gellman (Rob Lindley), Noah’s distant father who retreats into his clarinet for comfort and we see a dysfunctional Jewish family striving to deal with the changing times and their religious traditions. The turmoil of the civil rights movement, Viet Nam, the Kennedy assassination and general unrest became frightening to Caroline and the Gellman’s. When grandfather Stopmick (Dennis Kelly) arrives from New York, his socialist philosophy stirs the Gellman’s as he tries to explain the value of money (a $20 bill) to Noah.
Ultimately, “Caroline or Change” is a sad story about how a strong woman deals with social change and her personal plight. This opera is heavy handed featuring a blend of musical styles from pop to blues to gospel. Doug Peck’s musical direction produces stirring melodies from the musical college Jeanine Tesori composed. 
“Caroline or Change” will either get you to love it or hate it. There is enough material to admire or criticize in this multi-themed ambitious chamber piece. It is an important work that needs to be experienced. I am ambivalent about this show. I think my traditional views about how musicals and operas should be mounted made it hard for me to totally appreciate this fine work. I’m not a strong fan of sing through shows. I am definitely a minority about this show despite the fact that it only lasted 136 performances on Broadway. The opening night audience gave it an enthusiastic standing ovation. Director Charles Newell and his creative team (scenic design by John Culbert with lighting by Robert Denton); have mounted a smooth, nicely paced polished show. I guess that I may have resistance to change in common with Caroline? Come see this incomparable show and judge it your self. There is much here to digest and appreciate. E. Faye Butler is amazing.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2008
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