Carole Shorenstein Hays and Scott E. Nederlander present the musical in association with Gordon Davidson and the Ahmanson and Berkeley Repertory Theatre as part of the Best of Broadway season for a run through Feb. 20.
The cast of the George C. Wolfe staging of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's musical — featuring many of the original Broadway members — includes Pinkins, Rose, Sy Adamowsky, Reathel Bean, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Chuck Cooper, David Costabile, Veanne Cox, Aisha de Haas, Marva Hicks, Capathia Jenkins, Larry Keith, Paula Newsome, Benjamin Platt, Alice Playten, Kenna Ramsey, Leon G. Thomas III and Corwin Tuggles.
The unique operatic pop musical "takes place in Louisiana in 1963, just before the assassination of President Kennedy and during the Civil Rights movement. Caroline is the black maid of a Southern Jewish family, consisting of a father, his new wife and his young son. The son's birth mother has recently died and the new stepmother tries to establish a relationship with the young boy, who already has a close connection with Caroline. The title of the musical has a double meaning, referring to the myriad social changes swirling around the family and a family argument surrounding the spare change perpetually found in the boy's pants pockets."
The work originated Off-Broadway at The Public Theater then transferred to Broadway. It received six Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book and Best Score. The show closed on Broadway on Aug. 29. A two disc cast album preserves the score.
Original Off-Broadway and Broadway director George C. Wolfe returns to the work with choreography by Hope Clarke. The design team include Riccardo Hernández (scenic), Paul Tazewell (costumes), Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting), Jon Weston (sound) and Jeffrey Frank (hair). Tickets to Caroline, or Change at the Curran Theatre, located at 445 Geary St. in San Francisco, CA are available by calling (415) 512-7770. For more information, visit www.bestofbroadway-sf.com.
