Caroline, or Change

By Tony Kushner

Book Overview

" Caroline is a breakthrough--a story so grounded in the ordinary details of life that it almost seems to have discovered a new genre." -Richard Zoglin, Time "Acute, smart and witty: a telling snapshot focusing with sharp clarity on characters captured at a fraught turning point in history--a culture's and a family's." -Charles Isherwood, Variety "Thrilling. You've never seen anything quite like Caroline, or Change and likely won't again anytime soon. There's never a moment that the part-pop, part-opera, part-musical-theater score Jeanine Tesori has conjured up doesn't ideally match Tony Kushner's meticulously chosen words with clarion precision." -Matthew Murray, talkinbroadway.com "A monumental achievement in American musical theater. Joyful, wholly successful, immensely moving, told with abundant wit and generosity of heart." -John Helipern, New York Observer Louisiana, 1963: A nation reeling from the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement and the Kennedy assassination. Caroline, a black maid, and Noah, the son of the Jewish family she works for, struggle to find an identity for their friendship after Noah's stepmother, unable to give Caroline a raise, tells Caroline that she may keep the money Noah leaves in his pockets. Through their intimate story, this beautiful musical portrays the changing rhythms of a nation. Tony Kushner and composer Jeanine Tesori have created a story that addresses contemporary questions of culture, community, race and class through the lens and musical pulse of the 1960s. Tony Kushner 's plays include Angels in America ; Hydriotaphia, or the Death of Dr. Brown ; The Illusion , adapted from the play by Pierre Cornelle; Slavs ; A Bright Room Called Day ; Homebody/Kabul ; Caroline, or Change , a musical with composer Jeanine Tesori; and The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures . He wrote the screenplays for Mike Nichols's film of Angels in America and for Steven Spielberg's Munich and Lincoln . His books include The Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to the Present; Brundibar , with illustrations by Maurice Sendak; and Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , co-edited with Alisa Solomon. Among many honors, Kushner is the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, two Tony Awards, three Obie Awards, two Evening Standard Awards, an Olivier Award, an Emmy Award, two Oscar nominations, and the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012, he was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama. He lives in Manhattan with his husband, Mark Harris. Jeanine Tesori composed the scores for Tony Award-winning musicals Thoroughly Modern Millie and Shrek the Musical as well as Violet and Caroline, or Change . She is the recipient of multiple Drama Desk and Obie Awards, and her film composition credits include Nights in Rodanthe , Winds of Change , Show Business , and Wrestling With Angels .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559362480
• ISBN13: 9781559362481
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Caroline or Change

Excellent play. I'm anxious to see it at the Guthrie this month. Prejudice, ignorance of those in charge,insight of maid.

LOUISIANA CAROLINE

Let me say, I am a huge fan of Kushner's work, he is one of the most creative of his generation in theater. This story resonates with me because my mother grew up in Lake Charles and she was in high school when this story takes place, I love the fact Tony used Lake Charles, it's such a quenticential southern city, and it's perfect for the story he tells. I grew up in the south, but really am too young to have experienced the civil rights movement and ive only know Lake Charles as a lovely city, with friendly people, that is very peaceful. The story as told is riviting, and the musical score is perfect, you feel transported to 63 southern Louisiana and you feel the strain on Caroline and the times she lives in, Kushner said that the lady he based Caroline on is alive and well in Lake Charles, Im glad she lived to see Lake Charles as well as the South change, it may not be all the way there, but man has it come a long way in short time, believe me. The stage show is showing in Houston right now, and Kushner said this is the closest it's gotten to Lake Charles..let's hope it makes it at some point to the city that inspired it.