By Rights: 'Caroline, or Change'

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THIS WEEK: Once in a while, a musical comes along that asks a great deal of its audience, that doesn't rely on familiar songs or bubblegum morals to make a point. The devil is in making a musical with a social conscience without sacrificing the music that makes people come see these things in the first place.

"Caroline, or Change" tells the story of a black maid to a white family in Louisiana in 1963. It also tells the story of black America at the dawn of the Civil Rights movement, and of the frustration of an oppressed populace. It's surreal, at times, juxtaposing jaunty music and serious themes, and you will cry at the end.

If you missed the Studio Theatre's production last year, you should hit up this one, at Centerstage in Baltimore.

» Centerstage, 700 North Calvert St., Baltimore; through Jan. 18, $15-$50; 410-332-0033.

Photo courtesy Public Theatre