By Rose Picón, staff writer

This February, Syracuse Stage will host one of its biggest performances yet: Caroline, or Change. It’s a compelling and imaginative musical that reveals the malice of racism and demonstrates the importance of family. Caroline, or Change is a performance that Timothy Bond, Syracuse Stage’s producing artistic director, has hoped to show for quite some time. “I’ve wanted to do this show since I saw it premiere in NYC eight years ago. Finally, I’ve found the time when the perfect cast for Caroline, or Change can come together!”

Bond fell in love with Caroline, or Change because it’s a production that offers something for everyone who sees it. The musical tells the story of an African American maid named Caroline, who works for a Jewish family in Louisiana. The musical is set during the 1960’s, when Jim Crow laws still exist in the south and the Civil Rights Movement is in full swing.  The musical is developed around Caroline and Noah Gellman, the nine-year-old boy in the family who shows Caroline how valuable friendship truly is.

As a single mother, Caroline is angry and filled with frustration about not being able to provide for her four children. Caroline’s attitude begins to change, however, once Noah’s mother dies from cancer and he turns to Caroline for stability and comfort. Noah starts leaving change in his pocket for Caroline to collect while she does the Gellman’s laundry. Noah’s stepmother tells Caroline to keep the change, hoping it will teach Noah a lesson. Caroline hates taking money from a child, but his spare change gives her hope for a better future for her family.

Tony Kushner wrote Caroline, or Change to chronicle his life as a Jewish boy growing up in Louisiana. Noah’s character is not modeled after Kushner, but he did have a strong connection to his family’s African American maid, and he recalls her reactions to the turmoil and inequality during that time period. His housekeeper’s world was turning upside-down, and the musical reflects on the changes she experienced as she went from being an oppressed maid to belonging to a group with a voice that was growing louder and more powerful by the day.

Caroline, or Change is a passionate story, and with this passion comes sensational music: bluesy beats of the south, soulful Motown hits, and melodies of Jewish folk songs. The music echoes that while Caroline faces many challenges, she still maintains a fantastic image of the world around her. “It’s a really imaginative story,” Bond shares. “Caroline is doing laundry when the washing machine breaks into song and a person pops out of it, and three African American women break out of the radio she’s listening to and start beltin’ out soul and pop music from Motown!”

The music will be even more incredible given the sizable cast. “It’s probably the largest musical we’ve ever produced at Syracuse Stage in terms of how many professional actors and musicians that we’re bringing in to the show,” Bond confirms. “There are over 14 professional actors, three local children and an orchestra of 10.”

Marcela Lorca, the director, is a friend and colleague of Bond’s. Lorca has done Caroline, or Change once before at the Guthrie Theater in Minnesota with Greta Ogelsby in the roll of Caroline. The two are performing together again at Syracuse Stage, and Bond could not be more excited about it. “I met Greta when she auditioned for me for a part in Crowns. She asked if I’d mind if she sung Eyes on the Sparrow. I said, ‘Go on ahead, girl. Knock it out!’ She started singing and I thought, Oh Lord! By the end of the song, we were both just crying; she tapped into something so powerful within me. I knew I had to work with this woman for the rest of my life!” Kushner has even seen the production that Lorca did of Caroline, or Change in Minneapolis and was swept away by Ogelsby as well. Bond knows it’ll amaze Syracuse, too.

Caroline, or Change is about resilience, love and the inter-connectedness among all people. According to Bond, “You’re going to see some of the best talent that’s ever been on our stage and one of the more important musicals of this century.” Caroline, or Change will run from February 1-26. Tickets are $18 for those under 18 and $28-$50 for adults. Syracuse Stage is located at 820 E. Genesee Street, just steps off the Connective Corridor, which includes a FREE bus service!