Philly's Caroline or Change

[gustof777]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 12:58am

Wow.
I don't know how many on here are in the Philadelphia area but I had one of the most amazing experiences in the theater tonight when I went to the Arden's production of Caroline, or Change. I knew that I would love the show because I have cried and cherished the cast recording since it came out. I wasn't quite sure how it would be live and when I went to tonights dress rehersal I was slightly nervous that it was going to be a dissapointment from hearing Pinkin's and Noni Rose's amazing performances on the recording...not at all!! This cast is incredible and her name escapes me but the actress playing Caroline is phenomenal and makes the role her own. I have NEVER cried as much I did for this peice. Lot's Wife was stunning and I Hate the Bus also was incredibly moving. The theater is PERFECT for the show and set is stunning and there are many parts that I don't believe were in the original production (just from seeing pictures of the set and clips I've seen. and watching some on a certain website) I don't even know how to put into words how much this show hit me and touched me. If anyone can get to Philly and catch this before it's gone (I believe it closes April 8th??) by all means go. I know I'll be there as much as I can afford to.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:00am

Who's in it?

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:02am

Local Philly actors. Joilet Harris, who is pretty well-known in the Philly theatre world, is playing Caroline.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:03am

So, it is not a tour but a local production?
This show so deseves a long life.

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:05am

Yeah, it's a local production. I used to see shows at the Arden when I lived outside Philly. They're usually very reliable.

[gustof777]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:08am

It was the final dress so they didn't have any programs but I can tell you that they are top rate and for a dress rehersal I shocked at how amazing they were. I promise you that I walked in so ready to be dissapointed and that I would be sad not to hear Anika and Tonya and the Radio. I thought there was no way in HELL that they could find a boy or a Caroline that was as moving as Tonya or any of the cast. But they are seriously almost flawless. Their voices are beautiful. The Caroline is decidely different (granted I'm only going off of the little I've seen of Pinkin's Caroline and the recording) but I LOVED the way she did Caroline. I thought the Stopnick's were incredible. I LOVED the woman playing Rose. I just was astonished by the show. How the f*ck did this not win the Pulitzer?? The little boy is adorable and heartbreaking. The final basement confrontation I was almost shaking. I can only imagine how they will grow into their roles. But I can't tell you how much I LOVE this cast and I wasn't expecting to at all because I've been in love with the recording. I knew I would love the show but I wasn't prepared for this cast!

Updated On: 3/8/07 at 01:08 AM

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:10am

gustof, how much are tickets? I've heard about this show, and it sound very interesting, and your rave review is making me want to buy tickets.

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:10am

It didn't win a Pulitzer because Brantley stonewalled it.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:11am

So glad to hear local groups are embracing and doing justice to an amazing score and book.

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:13am

Is the show still on tour? I thought the only sort of tour they did was the LA/SF mini-tour with the OBC.

[gustof777]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:14am

f*ck Brantley! lol and wonderful I'm not sure but I'm a college student and I'm almost positive that they will have a rush of some kind. I'm not even lying we saw all of this for free...it was INCREDIBLE. http://www.ardentheatre.org/2007/caroline.html is a link to the website. I will definitley post when I find out about rush. I seriously will see this as much as I can. I knew I was gonna love this show but never to this extent.

yeah it didn't tour anywhere else. I was praying it would come to Chicago (I'm from WI) but it didn't I know that there was a local production in Boston...last year maybe?? anyways this is one of Philly's best theater companies and they really deliver here.

Updated On: 3/8/07 at 01:14 AM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:34am

Brantley's opening night review was pretty positive though:

It is a relief to report that under the direction of George C. Wolfe, Ms. Pinkins's artful study in passive aggression still reads piercingly clear. Who else, after all, stops a show these days with a long, measured ballad of self-reproach, resentment and resignation in which the singer never smiles?

If her somber facial expression rarely changes, Ms. Pinkins's iridescent voice evokes a seething, swirling interior life. She remains the ideal conduit for the mood-switching restlessness of Ms. Tesori's collage of a score, in which anthropomorphic household appliances provide Motown-style backup to Caroline's thoughts.

Overall 'Caroline' is what 'Caroline' was, befitting a work with a heroine most notable for her refusal to compromise or, to use the word of the moment, change.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Harrison Chad is still spot-on as the sly, sad, motherless boy who worships the family maid. And as Caroline's rebellious teenage daughter, the enchanting Anika Noni Rose injects a welcome breeze of fresh life, deliberately at odds with the unbending nature of Caroline and the show in which she appears.




Brantley's Review

[gustof777]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:38am

ok so maybe not F**K Brantley...but this still should have gotten so much more than it did.
*sigh*

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:41am

Quality will prove out and People will enjoy this show for many years.
It is a treasure.
Harrison Chad should have gotten a TONY nom.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:44am

There was also an acclaimed production at the Studio Theatre in DC this past summer that was recently nominated for several Helen Hayes Awards.

Updated On: 3/8/07 at 01:44 AM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:47am

I agree that the show deserves much more than what it got; however, Tony nominations or Pulitzer prizes do not guarantee longevity or prestige as time has proved. It was quite gratifying to see how the show was pretty much unanimously acclaimed in London and received an Olivier Award for Best New Musical (though I didn't realize in 2004, this show deserved the Tony for Best Musical). Pinkins also has garnered some awards since the show played in CA and London, and at least Anika Noni Rose received proper recognition at the Tonys. Though at first I wasn't a big fan, I've come to realize that this is one of the most fascinating pieces of musical theatre in the past few years.
I can't stop listening to "Emmie and Mr.Stopnick," short but brilliant.

[gustof777]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:48am

thanks Margo I thought that there was another one. I've been obsessed with this show since it came out and will keep following it and it's regional life. I really hope there is a production in Chicago sometime soon

no I know that the Tony doesn't mean THAT much but it still deserved it but alas I know the way the world works. Let's just hope that there are more amazing regional productions. I was thrilled with the Olivier. It made me love the Brits even more lol

Updated On: 3/8/07 at 01:48 AM

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 9:18am

WOW! So glad it was good. I may have to check it out now.

[Josephine2]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 9:46am

Thanks for the review/information. This production sounds like it may be worth a short trip to Philly to see. I missed the Broadway production, and have been wanting to see this show. It sounds wonderful!

[IveGottaBeME]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 12:34pm

i'm seeing it tonight. Elyse Taylor, who is a senior at the University of the Arts, plays Emmie and is wonderful. Also, Tallia Brinson who played Mimi on the Rent tour is one of the radios and she graduated from UArts.

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 1:00pm

I was there last night as well, and I can safely say that is production is top notch. Not a weak link in the cast, or in the creative team. The choreographer Patricia Scott Hobbs and the musical director Eric Ebbenga are both teachers at Uarts.

[BroadwayPenguin2]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 3:32pm

It's Pappas!

IveGottaBeME - Are you from UArts?

Are they still doing $5 rush tickets?

When does the show close?
Updated On: 3/8/07 at 03:32 PM

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 3:38pm

LOL it is a little YAY Uarts isn't it. Marsha Lawson, who's Radio 1 is a Uarts alum too.

They have a $5 student rush policy. It's only redeemable with a valid ID though. The show closes April 8th I think. Unless they "extend".

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 6:44pm

I have been told that the show will not extend.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 7:58pm

We'll see. SOmetimes the Arden contracts the cast for a 5 week run. They advertise it as a 4 week run and then announce an extention even though they planned the 5 weeks well in advance. I think it's good marketing.