Toddra Brunson, Kareema Khouri, Asher Makeba, Gabrielle Graham and Whitney Renee in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu.
By Mariah Reed
Winner of six Tony Award nominations, Caroline, or Change was created by Tony Kushner, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his play Angels in America, and Jeanine Tesori, recipient of six Tony Award nominations and one of the most prolific female theatrical composers in history. So, it’s no surprise that this musical is a remarkable and unique work that will stay with you long after the curtain call and quiet drive home.
Franco Kiglies and Brian Golub in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu
The Actor’s Playhouse’s South Florida premiere of Caroline, or Change is a haunting and unapologetic depiction of the chasm between the privileged white experience during the 1960s and the inequities and indignities Black people suffered during these times. Kushner sets the play in Lake Charles, Louisiana, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, in the comfortable home of the Gellman family. Stuart Gellman’s first wife has passed away, and his young son, Noah, has rejected stepmother, Rose. Instead, Noah is enthralled with their African American maid, Caroline Thibodeaux.
Annaya Charlicia and Kareema Khouri in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu
It is no wonder Noah has fixated on Caroline as “the strongest person” he knows. His father, a professional clarinet player, is largely absent, preferring to spend hours honing his musical expertise. Stepmother Rose, a New York transplant, clumsily struggles to mother Noah but is a fish out of water.
Rose personifies white guilt, as she awkwardly vacillates between assigning tasks to Caroline and attempting to befriend her. When she suggests that Caroline keep the small change left in Noah’s pockets to teach the child a lesson, Caroline is rightly offended and insists she will never take money from a child. Caroline has her pride, and not much else, unfortunately. As an uneducated single mother abandoned by an abusive husband, she struggles to raise four children. As one of the characters sings, “Domestic tragedy brings strong women to their knees.”
The contrast between the Gellman family’s abundance and Caroline’s dire financial circumstances is clear.
Kareema Khouri, Toddra Brunson, Asher Makeba, Gabrielle Graham, Whitney Renee and Don Seward in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu.
Caroline can’t help but bitterly observe how Noah’s small change could make a huge difference in the life of her family. Caroline’s daughter, Emmie, represents a new generation of black Americans, dreaming of more and willing to confront the establishment to get it.
9. Liam X. Williams, Cassidy Joseph and London Khouri in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu.
But Caroline is reticent to speak her truth for fear of losing her job. While friend Dotty urges her to be courageous, Caroline is a woman with few options and four children to feed. Eventually, a confrontation between young Noah and Caroline occurs, turning ugly and leading to painful revelations of long-held prejudices. It is this altercation that spurs Caroline to change, and Noah to lose a piece of his innocence.
Kareema Khouri brings Caroline Thibodeaux to life with a depth and sensitivity that brings us along the dark and painful journey of a woman desperate to give her children more. Khouri completely embodies Caroline’s inner conflict; her wrestling between hate and grief is palpable. Her voice is a multi-layered banquet of aching, longing, helplessness, and ultimately hope as she rejects hate in a final epiphany. The night this reviewer attended the show the audience continually erupted in cheers and enthusiastic applause for each of her outstanding song stylings.
Peter Tedeschi, Patti Gardner, Howard Elson, Franco Kiglies, Jeni Hacker and Brian Golub in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu.
Cassidy Joseph as Emmie Thibodeaux, beautifully represents the younger generation, speaking up loudly about the inequities experienced by Blacks. Joseph sings and dances like a dream, with a natural talent that makes one helpless to look away when she is on stage. Annaya Charlicia, as Dotty, is a wise, sassy, and compassionate friend to Caroline. Even when her advice is rejected, Dotty never gives up on her friend and Charlicia’s effective use of humor fused with blunt directives makes us wish we all had a friend as caring and outspoken.
Tyler Symone in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu
Brian Golub’s Stuart Gellman is a haunted man in mourning, wandering about with his clarinet with little time for anyone else. Jeni Hacker, as stepmother Rose, is also a lost soul, desperate for affection and unsure of her place in the world. Patti Gardner and Peter Tedeschi as Stuart’s parents are similarly struggling to be of service to the family, and Howard Elson as Rose’s father vacillates between racism (wondering why the Negros “make trouble” for themselves), and appreciation for the challenges faced by Black people.
Don Seward in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu.
A lovely device used in the play is the personification of inanimate objects. Toddra Brunson, as the feisty Washing Machine, Tyler Symone as the elegant, benevolent Moon, and Don Seward as the naughty dryer and forlorn bus are brilliant both in their rich and resonant vocalizations, but also in the nuanced acting values that create just the right angst for the times.
Lively choreography transports us back to the innocence of the 1960s.
Patti Gardner, Peter Tedeschi, Brian Golub, Franco Kiglies and Jeni Hacker in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu.
A simple, but effective set, is built about a turntable that smoothly revolves to reveal a variety of environments. This contributes to the wonderfully fluid way in which each scene unfolds into the next. Although the play is about two and a half hours long (with a 15-minute intermission) it feels much shorter. The characters are so endearing that one wants the story to go on beyond the final scene.
Franco Kiglies, Kareema Khouri, Cassidy Joseph, London Khouri, Liam X. Williams and Tyler Symone in Caroline, or Change at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Photo by Alberto Romeu.
Conductor Antoine Khouri and his live orchestra provide rich, full accompaniment to some of the most accomplished voices you’ll hear on a South Florida stage. Sound reinforcement could do with some adjustment, however, as microphones seem to need additional equalization for crisper amplification of voices.
Run, don’t walk, to see Caroline, or Change. You will be enthralled by a talented cast that beautifully depicts a time when our country faced great social change.
Mariah Reed is an Equity actress, produced playwright and tenured theatre professor.
Caroline, or Change runs through April 14 at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. Ticket prices are from $40-$100 (10 percent discount for seniors on weekdays and $15 student rush tickets available 15 minutes prior to curtain). Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. A special weekday matinee is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, at 2 p.m. For more information, call 305-444-9293 or visit www.ActorsPlayhouse.org.
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