Caroline, or Change Question

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 5/27/13 at 5:18pm

Spoilers abound.

Every time I listen to the cast recording I am just bowled over by it. I think my favorite moment is that hideous, beautiful one at the end of Caroline and Noah fight when Caroline very quietly sings, "And hell's where Jews go when they die." Does anyone who saw the show remember what the audience reaction to that was?

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/27/13 at 6:42pm

When I saw it you could feel the air being sucked out of the theater. Kind of inaudible gasps and total silence. I think it just stunned everyone. My jaw dropped.

Updated On: 5/27/13 at 06:42 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/27/13 at 6:44pm

Oh yeah, there were VERY audible gasps.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/27/13 at 7:24pm

I never saw the production, but it gives me chills to hear it on the recording.

[Archnem7]

Posted: 5/27/13 at 8:53pm

To be honest - other than Anika Noni Rose's amazing performance, the only thing I remember about this show was how tired (and cracking) Tanya Pinkins voice was...I wish I had seen Adrienne Lennox (her understudy)
Not to say anything bad about Tanya - I had seen her in the Wild Party a few years before, and she was great....

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/27/13 at 11:44pm

Kad, I'm with you, never saw it but that particular moment is haunting and brilliant. That it leads Caroline to sing "Lot's Wife" is a testament to the masterful storytelling of Tesori and Kushner, "Lot's Wife" alone is one of the most complex songs written for a musical, but once you hear it as part of the larger story, there are no words to describe its power. I can't talk enough about this show, it's probably my all time favorite cast recording, along with PASSION. Pinkins' voice sounded hoarse at the Tonys, but hers and everyone else's performance in the recording is the embodiment of musical theatre at its best.

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 5/28/13 at 1:33am

No doubt, singing that (incredible) score took a toll on Pinkins' voice during the run. And there were times that she cracked away during the show. But what I thought was just incredible was how unafraid of it she was. I remember feeling that the occasional vocal strain added to the helplessness and inherent brokenness that the character felt, and while uncomfortable and unsettling to listen to at times, it made her pain more real for me. I thought it was so brave as an actress to not back down from telling/singing this story with all the power and raw emotion it deserves regardless of personal vanity.

This was a performance (and show) for the ages.

And to answer the OP's actual question, the moment really did send shockwaves through the theater. But majorly payed off emotionally by "Lot's Wife"'s end.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 5/28/13 at 1:36am

I remember very distinctly seeing the mini-tour in San Francisco, with most of the original cast, and that line was met with a great deal of laughter from the audience.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/28/13 at 2:05am

There was definitely an audible response from the audience I saw the show with.

To me, Pinkin's strained vocals added to the performance immensely. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...it was a performance I will never forget. The single best stage performance I have seen in my life. To describe it in text would be an injustice, as it was just something that you had to experience live in order to even begin to understand. Astonishing doesn't even begin to describe it.

It's a challenging, stunningly beautiful piece of theater.