A note from Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Dawn Helsing
Once or twice in a generation, a new theatrical work comes along that truly stands apart. It asks us to think about what we see on stage in a completely different way and resonates so deeply that we are changed after having experienced it. For us at Court, Caroline, or Change is one of those works.
It’s not surprising that Tony Kushner’s first musical would be so extraordinary, after the indelible mark he made on our consciousness with his Pulitzer Prize-winning epic Angels in America. Like so many authors of the great classics, he starts with a deeply personal story—in this case, his own childhood—and shares it in a way that speaks to us all.
In Caroline, or Change, like in so much of his art, Kushner examines the discomfort and disruption brought about during a period of great social change. In doing so, he continues our collective exploration of the impact of change pondered by some of our greatest thinkers. In 424 B.C., Euripides wrote, “What can we take on trust in this uncertain life? Happiness, greatness, pride—nothing is secure, nothing keeps.” At the turn of the last century, Clarence Darrow postulated, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” With this play, Kushner provides his own insight on how we, as human beings, endure. Caroline prompts us not only to think about these issues, but also to feel them in our bones.
We’re honored to present the Chicago premiere of Caroline, or Change.
–Charles Newell and Dawn Helsing
