Caroline or Change: Playhouse Theatre

[Deleted]

I didn't think too much of the kids when I saw it in Chichester, but they were all superb when I saw it at the Hampstead.

[Deleted]

I have to say I am probably in the minority here but I found it just ok. I was looking forward to it from the positive reviews and comments here and  didn't really know what to expect going in. The music in the show was all very pleasant and nice (if a bit long at some points) and I liked the staging of it all and the use of revolves and back wall. The performances were all really good in it and there was not a weak link in the cast but to me the story was just really boring,not much happens in the whole show and it never really got anywhere. If I'm honest I don't really get what all the fuss was about, I love me some Tony Kushner but this just fell flat. I think this would have just been better as a short one act musical.

this was my first time at the Hampstead theatre and it was very nice , seats in the first ro was of the circle where very good but some people were singing/humming along behind me which I found odd and a bit distracting.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
Now I might get some people being quite angry at me for not getting it but I thought Caroline killed her self at the end as in the last song she talked about the being underground and when she talked to Noah it sounded like they would not meet again till heaven but then it seemed like she survived at the end. I don't  know what to make of it but if she did survive then the whole show seems pointless as she basically keeps the quits her job and then returns back to where we stared. 

[Latecomer]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
I thought the whole point was that sometimes you just had to swallow your pride and get on with the job....hence she went back to work as she needed the money....but that sometimes change took time...so the next generation (her children) could then lead the way...but in the meantime she had to swallow all her feelings to basically feed them. Plus nothing is ever simple....the step mother was desperately unhappy being the "boss lady" but what do you do? If she didn't have a maid then Caroline would have no money, but she knew it was morally rather wrong. I think the reference to seeing Noah again was just that bridges would take time to rebuild as they had fallen out so badly...but eventually they would be able to talk at some point in the future and with more of a distance from the events of the row.

[Latecomer]

I liked this a lot. Was not entirely convinced by the interval but by the end I was rather in pieces. It made me think, not just about race and religion but about all people in poorly paid jobs today....the "just coping" and how basically it is not fair and you then have no freedom. Society basically has to be more equal.....but so many people are trapped, like Caroline, wondering how to escape the hand fate has dealt them. Always good when a play makes you think...and uncomfortable when you come from a position of having money to spend on theatre....

[JJShaw]

I enjoyed the show and thought it was really well put together and thought the whole cast was really good! The show certainly benefits from an intimate venue, cant imagine what it was like in the Olivier. I hope it does well in its transfer but its quite an odd show to market and sell, even if I was asked to give a word of mouth review Im not quite sure how id describe it myself.

The only thing that bugged me a little was they changed calling her Caroline and Carolin just to fit the rhymes. The first time I thought it was funny, the rest I just wasnt sure if I missed something? The kids really were great, the staging of the piece was really good.

I too was struck a little confused at the ending it just... ended? But from reading previous comments maybe I didn't miss anything there, or maybe I did...

I was in N5 which I thought was an absolute steal for £10, probably one of my favorite seats ive ever had in a theatre!

[Deleted]

It wasn't in the Olivier, it was in the Lyttelton.

[JJShaw]

Apr 13, 2018 17:09:28 GMT @baemax said:

It wasn't in the Olivier, it was in the Lyttelton.

That makes much more sense, thank you for correcting me!

[Being Alive]

So I’m not familiar with Hampstead theatre - I’m in A22 stalls, how’s that going to be? Assuming it’s front row?

[ruperto]

Just back from seeing this. Some really excellent performances, a brilliant band and great staging - all in all, a real West End-quality production.

My problem with the show was that in terms of its story/narrative, I just didn’t think it was very interesting - it was one of those ones where I kept thinking and hoping that the story was about to start, until eventually I realised there wasn’t going to be very much of a plot (all that repetitive business about the money accidentally/on purpose being left in pockets, and whether or not Caroline was going to give it back or keep it, etc, etc, wasn’t exactly edge-of-the-seat stuff IMO). At that point I just sat back and admired the performances and the technical aspects.

I did enjoy the music, eg the pastiches of the girl group songs, but the show was short of big numbers - it felt like that was almost a deliberate decision in order to stop the show being too commercial and accessible, and keep it more highbrow - and it was frustrating to have a performer of the calibre of Sharon D Clarke playing what is arguably quite a downbeat, ‘locked-in’ character. I know that she finally got to give it some welly at the end, but I wish we’d had a bit more of that earlier. There was one song sung by Caroline’s daughter in the second half that was a properly good ‘number,’ as my father-in-law would say, though I didn’t buy a programme and it’s not a show I know, so I’m not sure of the title.

Anyway, I’m still glad I saw it, because of the quality of the performances and the band.

[ruperto]

Hey Theatremonkey

Thanks for that. Yes, I could tell that a lot of it was symbolic, but I just felt that, for me, it didn't really come to life dramatically - I felt it was quite a subtle, buttoned-down piece, when perhaps I'd been hoping for something more - for want of better words - full-on, showy and obvious. I felt that until the end, everything was a bit reined-in, when what I really wanted was to hear that fabulous band let rip, and Sharon busting out her full diva powers. But I appreciate now that this isn't that sort of show...

[Being Alive]

Have found that I’m actually in stalls b36 for this afternoon - which is weird as it’s definitely not what I booked but hey.
@theatremonkey am I going to have an difficulty do you think? Thanks as ever!

[Being Alive]

No bother - I’m inside.

When I say I am half a foot from the stage I ain’t kidding.

Also, I am the youngest person in here at 23 by about 35 years. Oh the joys of a Wednesday matinee! 😂

[Being Alive]

I’m a mixed bag with this - like many people I think.

Firstly, and unquestionably, Sharon D Clark is like a supernova. That 11 o’clock number of hers really knocked me for six. I’m so glad she’s getting to come into the West End with this.

So, I’m not sure I liked the piece. The intimate setting is lovely, but it feels like it’s going to need to smarten up a bit before the West End as it all felt a bit rickety. That, and the fact I thought it was very much a show of two halves. I didn’t really like Act 1 that much - the opening number was clever, loved the girls who played the radio - but apart from that I could have left it. The boy playing Noah was intensely annoying so I didn’t get any connection between them at all.
Act 2 was infinitely better. The song during dinner with them all singing different lines at the audience was quite clever - none of them looking at each other.
I love me some Kushner but I don’t love me some Tesori so it was tricky territory.

But without someone like Sharon at the centre of this, I struggle to see it working.

I think it’s a 4 star production of a 3 star show. With a 5 star leading lady (it made me think how much I’d like to see her to Gypsy - I could feel that she had it in her to play Mama Rose...)

[Deleted]

I'm kind of thinking Sharon D Clarke is becoming a bit of a one trick pony. There's no doubt that she is very good at what she does but I think the whole reason that this left me so cold is strangely her. I just felt like I'd seen this performance from her so many times in different shows. I don't know whether she consciously chooses these roles or perhaps this is all she's being offered but I'd really like to see her do something a bit more unexpected.

[Deleted]

Ooh Being Alive you've hit something on the head for me there- I've never quite 'clicked' with Tesori either. Which is why I'm not as ecstatic about Fun Home as the masses (but giving it a go live). And possibly why I never truly clicked with the musical side of Caroline to the point of listening to it a lot.

That said (and don't take this as condescending, because it's not) I wonder if this time around you're too young for Caroline to really click as well- I only say that because 10 years ago I had a similar experience- I appreciated it, liked bits of it but didn't love it. As did a few friends (who also are Kushner devotees) but this time around the weight of it all really hit me. I just appreciated elements of it more- like 'growing into it' (had a similar experience with Angels as well...maybe I'm having an early midlife crisis)

Anyway since we're talking Kushner, any excuse to drop in I've just confirmed another interview with him for my book *happy dance*

[Dr Tom]

I've been watching around for tickets on this and managed to grab a single mid stalls that appeared yesterday afternoon.

My first trip to a rather nice theatre with great views based on the seat rake, but an incredibly tight and uncomfortable seat. The lack of space under the seat next to you to stretch your feet into really makes a difference to how enjoyable a show is.

A few empty seats in the first half, which surprised me as this looked sold out. More empty seats in the second half, so this wasn't to everyone's tastes, which I can understand.

I had a lady next to me taking notes all the way through the first half, but she moved to an empty seat at the end of the row for the second half, which made everything more comfortable (and I presume gave her more light as well).

At the other side, I had a girl who decided to stretch her feet out onto the empty seat in front of her. She calmed down in the second half, so I presume the gentleman with her had a word about why that was inappropriate.

I could hear glowing reviews as I left, with people talking about going to see it again "in town". So this definitely has an audience.

For me, I think other reviewers have summed this show up perfectly. Very well performed, excellent clear sound, suitably different from other shows to make an impression, but there aren't any standout moments or songs.

Not sure how well it will transfer. I think the current staging would get a bit lost, but there are opportunities there. Might see it again if there are some good ticket deals, as it's one of those shows that easier to form an opinion about when you know where it's going and what to look out for.

Glad I got to see this.

[apubleed]

I'm surprised that you would say there aren't *any* standout moments or songs - in particular for me the act two 11 o'clock number "Lot's Wife" is a major Rose's Turn-like moment that I find to be the peak of the show (and as good a showstopper as there ever has been). I found it devastating and heartbreaking. There are some other scattered moments that also seem to stand out to me (e.g., I Hate The Bus, Roosevelt Petrucious Coleslaw, and the Epilogue). However, I do take your point that overall the music doesn't necessarily follow the structure of a typical 'book musical' - it seems to seamlessly weave in and out of dialogue, sometimes with no clear start and end point. In most cases, I can see how it is good at more deeply establishing characters (and this is what this show is - a deep character exploration and thematic exploration of various issues. It's not really a plot-driven musical). 

If I were writing the show, I wonder if the score could have used some cutting or tightening though. For example (and perhaps this also reflects a bias of not really enjoying children in musicals), I wish Noah's singing wasn't so prominent, and similarly while Rose's vocal parts (especially contrasting with the POC cast) do a good job at establishing her character - sometimes it felt a bit relentless/unpleasant I could have gone without. 

Still, despite sometimes scratching my head I consider Sharon D. Clarke's performance and the show to be up there with some of my most treasured theatre memories and performances. 

P.s., I never do this but there was a guy sitting stage left at the end of a row with 3 people who was so cute it was hard to know whether to pay attention to him or the show! (April 21st evening performance). You looked to have been by yourself - as I was because I just moved here. If you happen to read this and want a theatre buddy feel free to inbox me - you might not remember me but we are both guys about the same age and made eye contact in the lobby at intermission . 

[Deleted]

Apr 22, 2018 9:48:29 GMT apubleed said:

If I were writing the show, I wonder if the score could have used some cutting or tightening though. 

Many a valiant brave man and woman has tried to make Tony Kushner write a shorter show...all have so far failed haha

Joking aside though some very valid points on the structure of this one. Although interestingly despite my normal allergy to kids on stage I didn't want to actively throw any of them off the stage in this one! 

[lou105]

Can't see a separate thread for the transfer- would mods like to make one or amend the title of this?
Thought I'd mention that I've just had an email from lastminute.com offering Band A seats for this for £29.50 in the first couple of weeks of the run. Plus you get to choose your seat. Don't ask me how that's "last minute" but let's not argue!

[partytentdown]

I urge you to see this, it was superb in Hampstead.

[Deleted]

Here’s a clip of Sharon singing Lot’s Wife (a longer clip is on the official Facebook page:

http://instagram.com/p/BnRYwaQHLHe

I hope we get a new cast recording too, like the Chichester revival transfers we’ve had, especially as the OBCR is harder to get hold of now.

[Deleted]

Anyone know why Thurs 29th Nov isn't on sale for the matinee or evening? Is it just likely to be sold out both performances?
Had planned to trip to London that day, booked time off and then went to book tickets, with unsuccessfully.

Edit: Ok, weirdly, Thurs 29th isn't on sale on ATG or Theatre Monkey, but is on Seat Plan, evening perf at least, with huge availability.

[Deleted]

Assuming that’s press/opening night then?

[stevej678]

28th is the press night according to LondonTheatre.co.uk.

[Deleted]

Sept 6, 2018 13:05:30 GMT stevej678 said:

28th is the press night according to LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Which would make 29th opening night, hence supposed no sale on tickets until all the comps have been distributed.
Damn, need to re-arrange the plans then.