Caroline or Change Official Thread (name change from Coc)- Page 3

[Plum]

Posted: 7/22/04 at 1:43pm

The man has an amazing voice. I especially liked him as the dryer, though.

Noah: Did God make the dryer, too?
Caroline: No, the Devil made the dryer. God made everything else.

:)

Posted: 7/22/04 at 1:52pm

yeah he's really cool!

[Testing1232]

Posted: 7/22/04 at 6:39pm

Just a cute little "Caroline" stage door story. Last Saturday we were at the stage door, and the cast was signing autographs.

I had just met Tonya and Chuck, and then Veanne. So, like usual... people are asking if the performers can sign their playbills, CD's, etc.

So, as I wait for Anika to come out, Leon G. Thomas (Jackie) walks up to ME, and says "do you want me to sign an autograph?"

It was the cutest and more innocent thing that I have ever seen at a theater.

Just wanted to share .

[The Goat]

Posted: 7/22/04 at 7:35pm

Just saw in the papers where "the cast" (no specific names mentioned), writer/lyricist Tony Kushner, and composer Jeanine Tesori will be signing "Caroline" CDs at the Columbus Circle Borders bookstore on Tuesday, August 10 at 5pm. And they are selling the two-CD set at the bargain price of $19.99. So those of you too shy or busy to wait at the stage door can go and get cast's and key creative team's autographs all in one fell swoop.

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 7/22/04 at 11:43pm

ok so i have a question: i have tickets for left orchestra row c, good seats , bad seats?

also should i buy the ocr now or after i see the show?

[Plum]

Posted: 7/23/04 at 12:54pm

Mmm...after. The album is pretty much the entire show recorded, since it's sung through, so if you listen to it first you won't be suprised by anything. And if you're afraid you won't be able to make out the words, the show is close-captioned. :)

Posted: 8/1/04 at 8:36pm

get the album after the show and your gonna love it! it's great! does anyone notice (or is this just my little over working/fanatic brain) that during the part in the show where they are singing the 15 cents a daredevil comic book blah blah blah, yeah, well isn't the music in that part completly random and out of the blue, cuze most of the music is percussiony souly type music...hmm... i dunno. it just seems a little out of place... but that might be me!

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 8/1/04 at 11:54pm

and yes, those are nice seats.
-d.b.j-

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 8/1/04 at 11:59pm

the album really does clarify a lot of what goes on on the stage, it made me like it even more

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 12:03am

Thanks everyone!

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 12:52am

ok, I have a really really dumb question, but I'm still new to theatre so forgive me.

Considering that Caroline, or Change is a fully-sung or almost fully-sung musical, how did Tony Kushner get nominated for Best Book at the Tonys? I thought the Best Score category was for music and/or lyrics, so if the musical is fully-sung, wouldn't the whole show be the score?

[Plum]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 10:25am

Caroline is sort of like an opera in that you can usually separate the songs from the recitative. (Though sometimes, admittedly the lines blur more than they do in old operas.) Think of the recitative as the musicalized book, since it doesn't really have song structure.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 3:12pm

"Book" refers to more than just dialogue or even the sung recitative. The book writer is also responsible for the the story, structure and "plot" of a musical. He determines the overall narrative, the characters and the various themes and "through-lines" in a show. He constructs the "skeleton" -- the composer and lyricist provide the "flesh."

In this case, Kushner initially wrote "Caroline, or Change" as a play without music. He had a reading of it at the Public about four years ago (before Tesori or Pinkins were involved with the project) and he and Wolfe believed it might make for a good book for a musical or an opera libretto. The opera idea was pursued first (with, I believe Bobby McFerrin on board as composer), but that project fell through. Tesori was then approached and she turned them down (repeatedly, if I remember correctly). Once Wolfe and Kushner were able to convince her, Kushner and Tesori began to work together in earnest, musicalizing the play (cannibalizing certain scenes as written, as well as writing new ones). About three years ago, they had a workable draft, which was when Pinkins came on board, and several workshops (and 19 versions of "Lot's Wife") later, we have this musical.

This isn't an unusual way for a musical to be birthed (if I'm not mistaken, Arthur Laurents had finished the books for both "West Side Story" and "Gypsy" before a note of music had been written). Book writers deserve much more credit than they ever receive because so often, great songs in musicals are actually musicalizations of scenes first written by the book writer (and lyrics are, at times, word-for-word adaptations of lines taken directly from the book).

[Plum]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 3:21pm

You're right as usual, Margo. And as Harvey Fierstein said at the Tonys, book writers never get the credit, but always get the blame. :)

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 1:55am

Plum and Margo,
Thanks for answering this question for me. I was confused about the full definition of "book" in musical theater.

I heard music samples, seen performance clips, and read Margo's excellent analysis of COC, and COC sounded like a musical that would interest me. I can't wait to buy the CD.

Posted: 8/3/04 at 5:52pm

you'll love it! but a warning that it's def. not Hairspray... its darker... its great though

[marebare]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 6:06pm

I just bought the CD last week and I absolutely love it! I want to thank all of you guys for reccommending it!!! Some of my favorite songs are "1943", "Santa Comin' Caroline", "Moon Trio", "Dotty and Caroline", "Lot's Wife", "I Got Four Kids", "I Hate The Bus", oook I guess I love them all! The songs really do all flow together and they are so amazing. The entire cast is incredibly talented. I just hope I get a chance to see it! Does anyone think it might close relatively soon?

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:28pm

god i hope not, that would totally suck! i do have a feeling it will last past New Years though...

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:37pm

was anyone at the discussion and signing yesterday?
i was.
-d.b.j-

Posted: 8/4/04 at 8:24pm

nope, but i wish... :sigh:

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/4/04 at 8:27pm

The most ambitious and profound new musical in years!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/4/04 at 8:30pm

Tonya Pinkins goes on vacation August 22nd through 29th.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 8/4/04 at 8:46pm

Just saw the same thing on the ATC boards regarding Tonya's vacation. I am wondering how the show will get by that week. Worries me that the theater might be empty.

[marebare]

Posted: 8/4/04 at 8:56pm

Who's her understudy??
BTW does anyone else cry/tear up when Caroline says (don't know the exact lines) "Now I can take my son to the dentist/Now I can get real presents for Christmas"? I just want to cry. But I've never seen it...and I expect it's worse in the theater!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/4/04 at 9:33pm

Her standby is Cheryl Alexander. I remember her name from the ensemble of the original cast of DREAMGIRLS, but don't know much else about her.

edit: she understudied Lorell (as did Adriane Lenox, whom Alexander is replacing as the Caroine standby).

Updated On: 8/4/04 at 09:33 PM