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In Louisiana, where basements are rare, Caroline Thibodeaux spends her days in the basement of the Gellman household with the washer and dryer, and sometimes with 10-year-old Noah Gellman, a confused young man reeling from the death of his mother.

Although his father has re-married, he remains distant from Noah, who doesn't care much for his stepmother, desperate though she may be for acceptance.

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With a libretto by Tony Kushner, the playwright who helped put AIDS in the public spotlight with his Pulitzer Prize-winning "Angels in America," and music by Jeanine Tesori ("Thoroughly Modern Millie"), "Caroline, or Change" is as much an opera as it is a musical play as it explores a segment of a country deep in the throes of social upheaval. Indeed, one of the most powerful moments among many in this musical drama is when the Bus (Steven Milloy) delivers the news of President Kennedy's assassination.

Taylore Mahogany Scott leads the cast, not only with a superb vocal performance, but also with amazing acting. Caroline is tired, beaten down by the system and struggling to make ends meet on her $30-a-week salary. She is insulted when the new Mrs. Gellman, Rose (Aretta Baumgartner), tells her she can keep the change that Noah leaves in his pocket in order to teach the child about caring for his money. But she needs the money, if for nothing else than to give her three children a rare dime-store treat.

In addition to Noah, who lights up Caroline's daily cigarette for her, Caroline keeps company with the Washer (Burgess Byrd), the Dryer (also Milloy) and the Radio (Chauntel Rnee McKenzie, Carla Nicole O'Neal and recent Fairfield High School grad Kay Brown), a trio of Supremes-like singers who comment on the world and on Caroline's situation.

In presenting the world premiere of this evocative and powerful musical, New Stage Collective is quickly carving out its niche in the regional theater scene.

HOW TO GO

WHAT: "Caroline, or Change"

WHERE: New Stage Collective, 1140 Main St., Cincinnati

WHEN: Through Nov. 18

COST: $20 general; $16 seniors, $12 students

MORE INFO: (513) 621-3700; www.newstagecollective.com