Guthrie Theater

Set in 1963 Louisiana, against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, Kennedy's assassination and the Vietnam war, this Tony-nominated musical centers on Caroline Thibodeaux, a divorced African American maid and Noah Gellman, the eight-year-old son of the Jewish family for whom she works. When Caroline finds loose change in Noah's pants pockets at laundry time, Noah's stepmother Rose tells her to keep it to teach him a lesson and to treat her four children. Yet the acceptance of change - from taking money from a child to coping with memories of the past - does not come easily and threatens to crush Caroline's relationships and spirit. It's finally through her independent teenage daughter's vision and strength that Caroline realizes that change can, in fact, set her free.

Featuring a virtuosic score by Jeanine Tesori (Shrek the Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie), it blends blues, gospel and traditional Jewish melodies, creating a breathtaking medium for Kushner's provocative and personal story. When Caroline, or Change opened in New York, Frank Rich of The New York Times called the musical "extraordinary" and Time magazine noted "the score is almost entirely sung through -- but with a story so grounded in the ordinary details of life in a specific place and time that it almost seems to have discovered a new genre."

Video: Audiences are falling in love with Caroline, or Change

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The critics hail Caroline, or Change as a must-see production!

Star Tribune
"An engrossing, must-see event! Oglesby delivers the best performance on a Twin Cities stage this year." -- Rohan Preston, Chief Theater Critic

Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
"As marvelous, enchanting, and soul-stirring a show as you’re ever going to see, and if you choose to forego the chance to experience the Guthrie’s absolutely spectacular production of it, you will be missing the opportunity of a lifetime. There's no way for mere words to do this production justice. You have to see it to appreciate it. This is a show everyone ought to see." -- Tad Simons, Arts and Entertainment Editor

Pioneer Press
"This unconventional musical journey unsettles, shakes and moves the heart." Oglesby "may well be giving the performance of a lifetime." -- Quinton Skinner, Theater Critic

Resources

Play Guide
Pre- and Post-Play Discussions
How'd They Do That Workshops
Target Play Dates
Access Services: 
ASL Interpretation dates
Audio Description dates
Open Captioning dates

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Playwrights on Writing

"Loss and Joy: Music leavens the agony of an era in Caroline, or Change."

by Tony Kushner
October 31, 2004
LA Times

Listen to clips from the original Broadway recording of  Caroline, or Change.

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