Ended February with a trip to Round House Theater and their
production of Tony Kushner's (Angels in America) musical "Caroline, OR
Change", and like so many things I go to--I had no idea what it was about
except that there was a 60's era maid in the cast. Admittedly, not much to go on. It is about a maid and her family and her relationship to
the Jewish family for whom she washes clothes in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In particular it is about the
relationship between the 13-year-old son, Noah, of the white family and
Caroline, the black maid. Woven
around them are the tails of Caroline's best friend, Dotty, and Caroline's
three youngest children, Emmie, Jackie and Joe, of Noah's Dead Mother, Betsy,
and grieving father, Stuart, and his young step-mother, Rose. Rose's father comes for Hanukah as do
Stuart's parents. And last but not
least are the inanimate objects that come to life in supporting roles: the
Washing Machine, the Dryer, the Radio, the Bus and the Moon. No matter how you slice it, this is an
ambitious show.
I found myself initially struggling to embrace the
conventions in spite of the amazing singing voices. And the set was stunning! This wall-less home with 4 levels that rotated on an inner
circle while furniture and props and actors rotated in the opposite direction
on an outer circle. As luck
would have it, I was also sitting on the correct side of the stage to have straight
on views of Caroline's home and the bus stop, which were played outside the
main set.
But something happened after intermission. The score became less ambitious and
more straightforward. The meaning
of the songs was easier to grasp on a cold-listen, and that gave everything
more power. The first character to
step out of the mix and shine was Rose Gellmen, played by Dorea Schmidt. (I had previously seen her perform in
two Arena Stage Musicals, as Mrs. Sowerberry in "Oliver!" and Tzeitel
in "Fiddler on the Roof".
I swear you'd never recognize her from one of these performances to the
other. She's just that good. And for this role to shine, it takes
exceptional finesse and care to be able to hit just the right note, and upon
the foundation set in the first half--she nailed it.
The next ensemble member out of the gate was Korinn Walfall
as Emmie Thibodeaux, Caroline's daughter.
We already know, from act one, she can sing, but when she sings, "I
Hate the Bus"--I was taken to a place in her character's heart and held
captive. But I didn't feel the
least bit trapped. Just, so
fortunate. It's worth noting that
she also held the group numbers with the younger boys together like a seasoned
professional, anchoring the epilogue poignantly and powerfully.
The final burst from the layer of wonderful came when the
title character, played by Nova Y. Payton came to sing, "Lot's
Wife". It is her song of
redemption, and she delivered it with such raw, bold, conviction that before I
realized it, the warm tears were flowing down both cheeks even as my ears told
me that I was not alone. When she
finished the otherwise reserve audience erupted in not only applause, but
cheers and shouts of accolade. (Originally
conceived of by Kushner as an opera, the audience response to this performance
was completely operatic in it's passion.) It was the apex of the production and raised the rest of the
show to an easy, euphoric glide home.
Amazing.
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| The stunning set with Caroline (Nova Y. Payton) and Dotty (Awa Sel Secka), and The Moon (Delores King Williams) |
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| Caroline with The Washing Machine (Theresa Cunningham) on the left and The Radio (Felicia Curry, Olivia Russell, and Kara-Teimeka Watkins) on the right |
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| Caroline with The Dryer (V. Savoy McIlwaine) whose deep baritone/base voice was very HOT! |
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| Caroline with Noah (Griffin McCahill) |
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| Caroline with her daughter, Emmie (Korinn Walfall) |
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