Caroline, or Change
Feb. 13th, 2019 02:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearI went into Caroline with no knowledge of what it was about - and it turns out to be a weird-ass show. Plotwise, almost nothing happens, which is to be expected when it's mainly set in a basement and the first song repeats the refrain, "Nothing happens underground in Louisiana." On the surface, the story is about Caroline, a black maid for a Jewish family in 1963. She does the laundry in the basement, tries to make a good life for her four kids, and observes the new stepmother trying to bond with the bereaved son of the family she works for.
But, along with Caroline, her kids and the Gellmans, other characters include the washing machine, three people representing the radio, the moon, the dryer and a city bus. The music is raucous and the characters often sing over each other in not quite harmonious fashion, which makes it difficult to make out the words a lot of the time.
The show's tone and style are so unexpected that I spent a fair bit of the first half intending to leave in the interval. But it grew on me, and the characters were compelling enough that by half-time, I wanted to see it through. Themes of racism and classism are strong, as well as the difficulties of family relationships and finding a place in the world where you can be happy.
I particularly liked the double meaning of "change" in the sub-title, and all of the performances were nuanced and committed. It definitely took me a while to get into it, but I'm glad I stayed and would recommend this for an interesting and challenging night out.
But, along with Caroline, her kids and the Gellmans, other characters include the washing machine, three people representing the radio, the moon, the dryer and a city bus. The music is raucous and the characters often sing over each other in not quite harmonious fashion, which makes it difficult to make out the words a lot of the time.
The show's tone and style are so unexpected that I spent a fair bit of the first half intending to leave in the interval. But it grew on me, and the characters were compelling enough that by half-time, I wanted to see it through. Themes of racism and classism are strong, as well as the difficulties of family relationships and finding a place in the world where you can be happy.
I particularly liked the double meaning of "change" in the sub-title, and all of the performances were nuanced and committed. It definitely took me a while to get into it, but I'm glad I stayed and would recommend this for an interesting and challenging night out.
