Caroline, or Change to transfer to the Playhouse Theatre
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
It has just been confirmed that the critically acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre production of Caroline, or Change will be transferring from London's Hampstead Theatre in the London Borough of Camden to the West End's Playhouse Theatre near Trafalgar Square.
Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's musical recently transferred to London's Hampstead Theatre where Sharon D. Clarke reprised her role as the eponymous Caroline Thibodeaux. The limited engagement at the Hampstead Theatre began on 12 March 2018 and will continue until 12 April 2018. It has yet to be announced whether Clarke will continue on in the role Caroline. Full casting will be released at a later date.
Caroline, or Change is set in 1960s Louisiana and follows Caroline Thibodeaux, a black maid working in the Gellman household who is exceptionally underpaid. Noah, an eight-year-old boy, is heartbroken by his mother's death and decided to spend some time in the basement with the maid, whom he adores. But when Mrs. Gellman thinks up a way for Caroline to earn a little extra money, there are some unexpected consequences from Caroline and Noah's relationship.
The musical originally ran as off-Broadway show in 2003 before transferring to Broadway in 2004 and London in 2006, and it has enjoyed a number of awards and nominations. The 2004 Broadway production was nominated for six Tony Awards and won one of them for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Anika Noni Rose). The same production also saw six Drama Desk Award nominations and won one for Outstanding Music. The 2007 London production won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
The Chichester Festival Theatre production has enjoyed a fleet of five-star reviews, having been called "sensational" (The Times), "exceptional" (The Telegraph), "moving and magical" (Mail On Sunday), "impeccably performed" (The Sunday Telegraph), and a "modern masterpiece" (Evening Standard).
The West End transfer will open on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 at the Playhouse Theatre in Westminster. Tickets for Caroline, or Change will go on sale at 9am on Monday, 26 March 2018.