PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, January 24, 2012 CONTACT: Patrick Finlon, Marketing Director 315-443-2636 or pjfinlon@syr.edu
Non-Stop Music in Caroline, or Change by Pulitzer Prize Winner Tony Kushner and Tony Nominee Jeanine Tesori (Syracuse, NY)— Two powerhouses of the American theatre, playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America) and composer Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie and Shrek: The Musical), join forces on a musical of startling creativity and refreshing originality (don’t be surprised when the washing machine starts to sing). A stellar cast led by Greta Oglesby delivers powerful vocals in this unconventional, through-composed musical, the recipient of six Tony nominations followed by the Olivier Award for Best Musical. The year is 1963—civil rights and Kennedy—and in the Gellman household in Lake Charles, Louisiana, eight-year-old Noah struggles with the loss of his mother, while Caroline, the family’s African American maid, struggles as a single Mom of four children. Through Caroline and Noah’s friendship, Kushner and Tesori explore thoughts on economic hardship and racial inequity that are relevant today as they were in the early 60s. Rich with humor, humanity and of course music—ranging from blues to gospel to traditional Jewish melodies—Caroline, or Change delivers a deep and uplifting message about change, in big ways and small. Running February 1—26, Caroline, or Change will be performed in the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage, 820 East Genesee Street. Tickets range $18-$50 and are available at the Syracuse Stage Box Office, 315-443-3275 or www.SyracuseStage.org. Presenting sponsors are The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation and Arts Engage at Syracuse University. Sponsors are the National Endowment for the Arts, M&T Bank, Lockheed Martin MS2, Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, and Carrier Corporation. Media sponsors are Syracuse.com, Urban CNY, WAER, and WCNY. Syracuse Stage’s 2011-2012 season sponsors are The Post-Standard and Time Warner Cable. The title role in Caroline, or Change will be portrayed by Greta Oglesby, winner of an Ivey Award for her portrayal of Caroline in the acclaimed Guthrie Theatre production. “Ogelsby delivers a ravishing and powerful lead performance…playwright Tony Kushner was visibly choked up,” reported the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Oglesby’s numerous credits include originating the role of Aunt Esther in August Wilsons’ Gem of the Ocean (Goodman Theatre and Oregon Shakespeare Festival), the title role in August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), the role of Mother Shaw in Crowns (Guthrie Theatre), Gertrude in Hamlet (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and singing a selection from Caroline, or Change at the Kennedy Center during a special event celebrating the work of Jeanine Tesori.
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