March 22, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Great music and acting in very moving ‘Caroline’
by CLARK GROOME

I’ve never seen anything like it. Caroline, or Change, the invigorating musical at the Arden Theatre Company through April 8, counts among its characters a radio, a washing machine, a dryer, a bus and the moon.

Its dramatis personae also includes Caroline, a black maid serving a Jewish family in Lake Charles, La., in late 1963; three of her four children; her employer, his second wife and eight-year-old son, Noah; and several other family members.

Set in a time when the country was in the midst of cataclysmic change, Caroline, or Change is at base a very human, personal story — actually several personal stories.

First among them is Caroline’s. She’s a hard-working, somewhat embittered black woman (in 1963 she still wants to be called “colored”) whose abusive husband abandoned her and their four kids, leaving her to struggle just to keep her children fed, clothed and out of trouble.

The Gellman family has had its share of troubles as well. Noah’s mother died of cancer and his father married an old friend with whom Noah has no real relationship. His real relationship is with Caroline, who really loves the kid but is loath to admit it.

This is the time that President Kennedy was assassinated, that Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement were in full gear. It is a time of great change for the country, reflected in the lives of the Louisiana folk on whom the musical focuses.

Caroline is not a dreary polemic. Far from it. It is alive with humanity, which suffers from the pain its characters feel. In the second act there is a moment between Caroline and young Noah that is reminiscent of Athol Fugard’s Master Harold … and the boys. It is a moment so full of pain that things are said which forever change the nature of the relationship, an irrevocable, heartbreaking encounter that leaves you breathless.

In the Arden’s excellent production, all of the musical’s complex elements come vividly to life.

Jeanine Tesori’s eclectic score keeps the piece moving while at the same time commenting on the changing moods and situations the characters face. While there is some dialogue, Caroline is mostly music, and it works wonders.

So does the Arden cast. As Caroline, Mt. Airy resident Joilet F. Harris is absolutely brilliant. Her magnificent voice, warm persona and raw emotion combine to turn her hard-working character into an unforgettable woman who never lets her own pain get in the way of her love for her children and, although this is harder, for Noah.

Noah is in the hands of the admirable young Griffin Beck who simply nails his character. Unlike so many productions involving children, this one doesn’t make you want to kill all child actors. Au contraire: the kids — especially Beck’s Noah and the adorable Malik Burrell as Caroline’s youngest, Joe — are terrific.

As is the rest of the cast. Among the standouts were Elyse McKay Taylor as Caroline’s daughter Emmie; Sherri L. Edelen as Rose Stopnick Gellman, Noah’s stepmother; and Kelly J. Rucker as Caroline’s friend Dotty.

Musically, this may be the strongest company I’ve ever seen at the Arden. There is a lot of music, and it is all performed beautifully.

The production itself is seamless. Director Terry Nolen knows exactly what needs to happen in order for the inner conflicts and historic changes to be revealed. He never resorts to heavy-handedness, with the result that the truth and humanity of the story — written by Tony Kushner of Angels in America fame — come believably to life.

Choreographer Patricia Scott Hobbs does strong work also.

The play’s title is itself a play on words because part of the relationship among several of the characters involves Noah’s habit of leaving change in his trousers when they end up in the laundry for Caroline to clean. James Kronzer’s set revolves around that laundry room, set in the basement of the Gellman House, 16 feet below sea level and hot as blazes. Justin Townsend (lighting), Rosemarie E. McKelvey (costumes) and Jorge Cousineau (sound) are the other effective designers.

For tickets to Caroline, or Change playing through April 8 at the Arden Theatre, call 215-922-1122 or visit www.ardentheatre.org.