“A stew of deliciousness.’  That’s how actor Deborah Hay describes the literal and metaphorical ingredients used to flavour the sweet sounding Caroline, or Change.  Not only does Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's award winning musical harness the soul stirring rhythms of Motown, blues, and classical genres but it even relies on a singing washing machine, bus, and moon, to advance its scenes. 

Set in 1963 Lake Charles, Louisiana, the particular ‘change’ referred to in the title involves every day nickels & dimes as well as cultural and political undercurrents that flowed from an era when the civil rights movement dominated the headlines and a nation mourned the loss of a beloved President.  

The end result is a courageous examination of the anger and vigor that powers Caroline Thibodeaux, a 39-year-old divorced black woman working as a house maid for a Jewish family.  Raising four children on a mere $30.00 per week has taken an emotional toll and when an unforeseen confrontation erupts is it Caroline who will change for the world or will it be the other way around?

Portraying Rose, an ‘aggressively kind’ stepmother,  Deborah Hay views the house as a large pool in which loose change from the  laundry causes a symbolic reverberation that cannot be calmed.

She’s a performer with smiles galore detailing the melodic breadth of the presentation not to mention Caroline, or Change’s most powerful musical moment.