Review - Caroline or Change

                                                          Review of Caroline or Change


Situated right next to Embankment underground station, the Playhouse Theatre is small enough to create a feeling of intimacy, that works well for this musical.

Set in the early 1960's  the audience sees a reflection of the major changes happening in America, through the life of Caroline Thibodeaux.  Caroline is a black maid working for the Gellman family in Louisiana, America.  She needs her job although she hates it, but cannot leave for fear of not finding anything else.  The pay is poor and she struggles to pay her bills and support her children.

The Jewish family Caroline is working for have their own problems.  Eight year old Noah is living with his father Stuart, and step mother Rose.  His mother has died and the impact of this is still visible. The father is distant from everyone, the son doesn't even want to be touched by his step mother and Rose is struggling to find her place in the family.

The struggles of the extended Gellman family are highlighted when they come together to celebrate Chanukah. Whilst I found this scene almost a stereotype of a Jewish family, there was a real feeling of empathy towards Rose.  She is trying to be the perfect wife and mother.  She feels isolated and frustrated, but is desperate to hold the family together.

Meanwhile we see Caroline struggling in the basement where she does the laundry and her only escape is through the radio.  As she works, Noah tries to spend his free time with her, finding comfort in her company, but this leads to a moral and financial quandary during the story.

The musical won the Olivier for Best New Musical in 2007, and you can understand why.  The music is varied in style from blues to Motown, and the vocal performances from the whole cast are excellent.  Sharon D Clarke, plays the struggling Caroline beautifully, and you feel the heat and oppression of the basement that holds her inside it both literally and figuratively.

The show is only playing a limited run until April 6th 2019.  If you want to see something original and quirky, with a real blend of humour and pathos played out against a fabulous score, then this is definitely worth seeing.
For tickets visit: https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk