PCPA wraps up its stellar summer season with an unusual musical that premiered on Broadway just seven years ago. The story follows an African-American maid and the Jewish family she works for in 1963 Louisiana, set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. The libretto by Tony Kushner (Angels in America) was based on his own childhood experiences. This critic was fortunate enough to see the touring company in Los Angeles, with the original Broadway cast—and the PCPA production is comparable.
Kushner’s plays already have a lyrical quality to them, so it wasn’t much of a stretch for his words to be set to music in this one. He does occasionally dabble in poetic self-indulgence, and he pushes the “different meanings of the word ‘change’” a little much—but overall, it works.
The complex and catchy score by Jeanine Tesori (Shrek: The Musical) ranges in style from rhythm and blues to Klezmer-style jazz—sometimes within the same scene, to point up the contrast between cohabitating characters and cultures.
The show begins with Caroline stepping onstage in her crisp, white maid’s uniform, belting out: “Nothin’ ever happen underground in Louisiana, cause there ain’t no underground in Louisiana. There is only underwater.”
Caroline is a divorced single mother of four (the eldest is in Vietnam), trying to get by on $30 a week. Karole Foreman nails Caroline’s implacable attitude and the passionate emotions behind it. She also strikes the right tone of humor in the character’s no-nonsense answers.
Caroline spends her days down in the basement, “talking to the washer and the radio”—and the radio and washer talk back. Or rather, this being a musical, they sing. It’s one of the things that makes the show feel unique. The voice of The Washing Machine (Cicily Daniels) is sweet and refreshing, while The Dryer’s (Frank Viveros) rumbling bass is filled with sadistic glee. The Radio is represented as a Supremes-like singing group (Katherine McCreary, Nohealani Alisa Cambra, and Katrina McGraw), in sequined dresses, huddled around a big silver microphone—Caroline’s link to a world of glamour far from her basement.
Then Noah Gellman (a stand-in for Kushner’s eight-year-old self, played here by Carter Thomas) comes down the stairs. The young actor covers a full range of emotions in his performance: Noah’s sorrow at the loss of his mother; thrills at the prospect of buying toys and comics with money from his new weekly allowance; conflicting emotions about his stepmother; and unabashed admiration of Caroline.
The show is nearly through-sung, like an opera, and mixes large, operatic themes (personal tragedies, political upheaval) with seemingly trivial everyday family conflicts. Noah leaves change in his pockets when he puts them in the laundry. This annoys his stepmother Rose, who tells Caroline that if she finds any change in Noah’s pockets, she can keep it. This change in household rules causes “consequences unforeseen” for Noah’s relationship with Caroline.
Noah’s father Stuart (Mark D. Hines) is a clarinet player. He’s quiet and withdrawn, still mourning his wife even though he’s attempted to move on by “marrying a friend”—but Hines also shows the character’s passion for his music during a Hanukkah sequence.
Whenever the show focuses on Rose, the orchestra plays a nervous, up-tempo musical theme—a New York City rhythm in a Southern household. Elizabeth Stuart perfectly embodies that rhythm in her performance.
[image-2]
Seasoned performers Kitty Balay and Billy Breed give funny, touching performances as Noah’s grandparents—who have apparently been married so long, they have a tendency to sing in unison.
Joanna Jones captures the irrepressible spirit of Caroline’s daughter Emmie, especially in her anthem of independence, “I Hate the Bus,” and the show’s moving epilogue.
The heart of the piece is the tour-de-force aria “Lot’s Wife”—this show’s answer to Dreamgirls’ “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” or Gypsy’s “Rose’s Turn.” Nitpick: There was a bit more weeping involved than the already very emotional song required—but otherwise, Foreman performed it beautifully.
The costumes (Juliane Starks) and set (DeAnne Kennedy) create a world where kitchen sink reality and theatricality co-exist. The people wear regular period clothes, while the object characters are more colorfully attired. The backdrop features multiple abstract paintings—they’re all similar, but their brightly colored streaks are all tilted at different angles. When backlit, they reveal period images, such as a portrait of MLK, and the famous photo of JFK, Jr., saluting at his father’s funeral procession. High above the stage, watching over the Gellman household, is the moon, with an arc of smaller moons on either side, showing its different phases.
Even before Patricia Troxel was announced as director, Caroline, or Change had her written all over it. (How could this often experimental director resist symbolism and singing appliances?) Her production is heartbreaking, tear jerking, insightful, and inspiring.
We are fortunate to have two fresh new musicals running simultaneously at PCPA (the other being the world premiere My Fairytale at the Solvang Festival Theatre). Try to see both, if you can, because change come fast and change come slow, but these shows will only be here a few weeks.
Freelancer Brent Parker found a dime! Contact him through Arts Editor Shelly Cone at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2011.