West End CAROLINE OR CHANGE to transfer; opening at Studio 54 in April

[BJR]

Incredible news. I hope this time around, CAROLINE gets her due. Can't wait.

[Impossible2]

Apparently only Sharon is going over, the rest of the cast will be American I guess x

[qolbinau]

I hope they check the passports and life history of any other actresses because only REAL AMERICANS can play this. #NoDiversity#NoInclusion. Will Sharon agree to give up her UK citizenship and become MERICAN? 

[C4b2a3b]

It's fascinating that the board's detractors of 2019 mirror those of 2004. The tuneless criticism always shocked me. "I Hate the Bus" was on repeat on my giant iPod for many months! Even Mr Stopnick and Rose's songs are somewhat catchy, but I suppose it's all a matter of taste.

People also complained that the songs were too short, but this seemed consistent with the theme that things keep changing. The big numbers 1943, Roosevelt Petrucius, I Got Four Kids, and Lots Wife are all plenty lengthy (and very tuneful!).

I honestly don't remember that people thought this story was anti-Semitic during the original run, but Tony Kushner wrote the book, which of course isn't a fool-proof rebuttal. 

One criticism with which I somewhat understood in 2004 was that Caroline's disposition was too gloomy. I remember toward the end of the run, the posters changed from Caroline smoking on a bench (the OBC recording artwork) to one with her hands raised and smiling (which I can't seem to find on Google). Yet, why should Caroline be happy? Emmie and Dotty are perfect contrasts, and her situation is pretty awful. Perhaps there could have been a few more moments like "Gonna Pass Me a Law" or the end of Act 1 where she gives her children each a quarter "Open sesame, tell me what see, something silver...", but I never needed much convincing that she cared deeply for her family. 

 

[raddersons]

C4b2a3b said: "I remember toward the end of the run, the posters changed from Caroline smoking on a bench(the OBC recording artwork) to one with her hands raised and smiling (which I can't seem to find on Google)."

I feel like this would actually make me crack up considering the content of the show. I hope someone finds it.

[CATSNYrevival]

I do hope they come up with some great artwork for this. It's a great show but a hard one to sell for sure. I loved the original artwork but I can certainly see how it may not have inspired ticket sales.

[C4b2a3b]

This is credited to BrodyFosse123 and is from CoC's run in LA. I actually had in mind a different artwork by the same artist of the OBC recording, but I think this photo captures the producers' change in marketing strategy. I'm not sure I saw Tonya Pinkins smile like that when I went to see it :) 

[Robbie2]

Dolly80 said: "The score is painful on the ears. Tuneless and relentless.

Sharon D Clarke is sensational though and WILL win the Tony."

 

I too found the score excrutiating when I first experienced the BWAY prodution in'04.

Tonya Pinkins was exceptional yet Anika Noni Rose was the highlight for me!

 Sharon D. Clarke is a tour de force from what i've heard!

[Robbie2]

CATSNYrevival said: "I do hope they come up with some great artwork for this. It's a great show but a hard one to sell for sure. I loved the original artwork but I can certainly see how it may not have inspired ticket sales."

[CATSNYrevival]

This is the kind of stuff they were using in the West End.

[SouthernCakes]

I use to go to the library weekly and check this album out. Just an utter masterpiece and soooo excited to see this on stage and see how all the images in my mind play out on stage!!

[qolbinau]

Yeah the west end marketing at times did try to make it seem a bit...glamour musical.

Re: the score not being tuneless. I like to separate the characters out - I find it hard to see how someone could say most of Caroline’s and her family’s music is tuneless. Or the inanimate objects. I do find most of the ‘white’ family music tuneless. Especially Rose’s music. But it seems to be kind of the point.

[BJR]

Y’all, it’s called recit. The “tuneless” conversational parts connecting songs, or connecting arias in opera.

Agree the white characters seem to have less catchy recit, but it’s just recit. There are plenty of songs/arias, though. So like all operatic scores, those are where the melodies are.

[Deena Jones]

Cant say that I loved Sharon in We Will Rock You or Ghost vocally, but maybe the third time will be a charm!

[uncageg]

For a while I was really hoping this would transfer. Saw the promo for it and actually got much less excited but was still hoping it would transfer just to see it again. Saw the production they did a PPAS this past Spring and was blown away. The night I saw it Kushner and Tesori were there. Spoke to her after the show and like me, she said she was blown away also. So part of me is like "I am good for now" and don't need to see this production. That may change closer to the time it opens. 

[east side story]

Missed out on this the first time it played in New York, but I certainly won't this time around.

[AADA81]

I saw the original production 4 times in 4 months, whereas I almost never see any production more than once.  There was so much to take in from one viewing that I wanted to see it again and again.  I will definitely take in this production because the show is one of the greats as far as I'm concerned.  

[SweetLips22]

Hayes Theatre Sydney is doing a production commencing 23rd August.

Perhaps someone might report.