Caroline, or Change is set in 1963 Louisiana, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, as citizens grapple with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. But don't mistake it for a period piece. This is not musical-as-history, easily folded neatly in the pages of some forgotten book.
"This is one of my favorite musicals of all time because of Caroline," said director Lili-Anne Brown. "To some extent, I am Caroline, and my mother is Caroline, and I know many Carolines."
Brown's staging of Caroline, or Change—penned by Tony Kushner ( Angels in America ) and composer Jeanine Tesori ( Fun Home )—runs through Oct. 28 at the Den Theatre in a co-production with TimeLine and Firebrand theaters.
The 2004 musical follows the title character ( Rashada Dawan ), an African-American woman who works in the Gellman household, doing laundry and looking after the Jewish family's only child, Noah ( Alejandro Medina ). Noah is grieving the recent death of his mother. As his stepmother Rose ( Blair Robertson ) struggles to integrate herself into the household, Caroline struggles with making ends meet in her own household. Caroline is a mother as well, and is often at odds with her daughter Emmie ( Bre Jacobs ) over how much she should demand from her employers.
When Rose tells Caroline that any change left in Noah's pockets at the end of the day is hers to keep, it sets off a battle of wills that shakes Caroline's sense of self and her relationships with Emmie and Noah. The extra money is helpful in Caroline's home, but it it comes with a price of its own.
Kushner based the script on experiences from his own childhood, but Noah is noticeably not the protagonist of the play. "He chose to center the story on Caroline's internal struggles," Brown said. "She is surrounded by events, but the musical is not about those events. It's about how it feels to grow old, and have an ability or inability to change, and be a mother to girls."
Caroline's fight for survival from paycheck to paycheck allows her little time for politeness, kindness, or optimism. This makes her a "four-dimensional" character, according to Brown "We don't get to see Black women rage out, and deal with the consequences in a spiritual way," she said. Such expression is a gift, the director asserts.
Dawan agreed. "You don't get to be too authentic onstage as a Black woman. Usually, you play characters full of hope and joy and kindness, and Caroline doesn't choose those things. But none of us live inside of hope every day of our lives.
"My people may not like see all the dirty laundry onstage, but if we don't deal with it, then we can't have a conversation," Dawan said.
Authenticity breeds understanding for the audience, according to the artists working on Caroline. "It's important to consider historical moments that are not mainstream," said dramaturg Fatima Sowe.
"Domestic technicians"—the preferred terminology for women who work in household or hotel service industries—were left out of the U.S. labor movement that started in factories, primarily due to racism.
"But domestic technicians laid the groundwork for people who are freelancers now, as well those who work in the service industry now," Sowe said.
Dawan added that dramaturgy materials helped her understand Caroline's exhaustion and the fact that if "domestic technicians" such as Caroline were less than consistently gracious and giving, their inhumane treatment gave them good reason to be so.
"If people wanted maids back in the time of the play, they would drive to certain corners, and pick women up off the street," she said. "They would pick these women by looking at their knees, looking at how scarred their knees were to prove they spent all their time working on hands and knees," Dawan said.
Sowe said there is a rich context to be shared with the audience surrounding Caroline's narrative. The realities of her life parallel figures in the domestic technician labor movement, whose stories will be featured in the lobby at the Den. "Even when we center on domestic things, they reflect their political time, but change is happening always," she said.
Dawan said she believes now is a perfect time to produce this musical, referencing the ongoing Chicago hotel workers' strike, which she has seen firsthand on her commute. "We're witnessing people in power who have money, and how they act," she said. "The hint of wealth is impactful. To not have it is impactful."
Brown said she hopes to demonstrate the wide gap that exists between Caroline and the other characters visually. The Den space allows for an expansive design, and she "wanted to explore the relationship of Caroline being low." There are multiple references to Caroline living underground, or being underwater. To give the audience a similar impression, Brown has the audience on risers, with everyone in the upstairs part of the house on a higher level, while Caroline stays in the basement, on the deck of the stage floor. The audience is physically anchored to Caroline's place in the world.
Tesori's music adds another layer to the narrative. The score contains klezmer, MoTown, work songs, classical music, and musical theatre ballads. While wide-ranging, the musical themes highlight the relationships examined in the show.
"I like the last 'Underwater' song because it's a soft lullaby," Dawan said. "It's a heart-to-heart because [Caroline is] surrendered. She's telling Noah that he will learn to lose things. You can sense the love felt between her and Noah, despite all her heaviness, and that's amazing to me. The characters are seeing each other in each direction, and paying attention."
Guiding the next generation into a better future allows Caroline hope at key moments with her daughter Emmie, as well. "The more that you are aware you are different, you are then able to see the contrast in society and the potential for change," Sowe pointed out. "The past and what you do with it always determines the present."
Caroline, or Change runs through Oct. 28 at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets are $25-$45; visit Firebrandtheatre.org .
