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The Times They Are A-Changin' Reviews
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| 16 |
AMAZING ENTERTAINMENT! Review by: , Oct 21, 2006 |
| I enjoyed this show so much I went back to see it again! The dancers/acrobats were amazing, and the singers did an unbelievable job honorably delivering the lyrics of Bob Dylan. I found it entertaining yet provocative, with images that will stay with me forever. Maybe it is because the Dylan time period was such a passionate time in my youth, but I enjoyed the call to think about things beyond the surface once again. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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BROADWAY BOMB Review by: MARA Q, Oct 18, 2006 |
Ok, I'm a fool for all things DYLAN, but I surely outdid myself to the tune of $220 of my husband's hard earned $ and a precious hour and a half of our lives on this one.
This Broadway Bomb haunts me to this day and I STRONGLY advise all not to see this production.
I begged my husband to get us tics to the previews for my birthday, and on Thursday, September 28th we went to see the show. Now I am a very intelligent woman and know ... read more anything DYLAN on Broadway sounds suspicious, yet, think Rent, Cats, Hair, Tommy, Les Miserables, Phanthom, etc... I really enjoyed those productions!
For something DYLAN on Broadway I imagined something remotely entertaining, very overproduced, theatrical, with great set designs, costumes, and of course, the man himself's lyrics. There are so many posibilities as to how you could do something great, or at least really good, with the immense body of work that comprises DYLAN's long spanning career.
This production is an absolute disaster! Think riding the cyclone with a fierce hangover. Yes, it is still really hurting me that badly! I hope this mess closes before it even opens on I believe, October 26th. And what hurts even more, is that unbeknown to me, the Morgan Library opened Bob Dylan's American Journey 1956 - 1966 on the same day we went to see Twyla Tharp's massacre of by beloved Mr. Dylan.
I flew out to Seattle in March 2005 to see American Journey, an amazing and mesmerizing collection of all things great and very early DYLAN, assembled by EMP (Experience Music Project). I couldn't get enough of this exhibition; it blew me away! Seriously, don't miss it!!! I will go to the Morgan twice to see it during it's run here in NYC. If you love Dylan you will be in seventh heaven when you view it. Exceptional for it's breath and depth and multi-media presentations.
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Don't go
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| 18 |
Ahrab’s Circus not Carousel Review by: bsammons, Oct 15, 2006 |
I attended my first Dylan concert in 1965 and paid $3.50 to see his opening acoustical set which was followed, after intermission, by an electric set with The Band. I saw my first Tharp production in 2004 set to the music of Billy Joel. The blending of Dylan with Tharp is as natural as ..... well as natural as the advertisements showing the unexpected blending chocolate and peanut butter, twisted fruit juice and from my children’s menagerie, ... read more Wuzzles. For a Dylanphile who traveled from Colorado to New York to experience this production, it was a delightful evening and well worth the trip.
Ms. Tharp has chosen a collection of older Dylan standards, as well as some more obscure songs, and has produced an event which is exciting and challenging at multiple levels. But isn’t that the way Tharp and Dylan’s works have always been? Dylan’s music was not, and should not, have been presented in some linear fashion like Carousel, Oklahoma or even Movin’ On. Instead, this is a story of generational strife and a pursuit of love which is set in a Dylanesque dreamscape. Like the majority of Dylan’s songs, metaphors abound, uncertainty is plenty and an understanding of all the nuances seen on stage is known only by the creator and those who interpret this vision. Anything less would have been a disaster and a bore.
I am very happy I was not asked to pick the actors to sing the roles of the son and Capt. Ahrab, or how the songs should have been sung, but now that I have seen the play, I can’t think of anyone who would have done a better job than Michael Arden and Thom Sesma. Michael wisely avoided the temptation of trying to mimic any stage of Dylan’s singing style. Instead he used his beautiful voice, with its distinctive tenor, to present the songs of my childhood in a way I thoroughly enjoyed hearing. His ease of delivery allowed the songs to be delivered in a most memorable way. Thom has a sneer you want to slap off his face, thus causing another cloud of dust to billow from his ringmaster’s jacket. But once he began to sing, I was captivated by the beauty of his voice which contained aspects of strength, hurt and bitterness evoking sympathy for his position on Desolation Row.
Lisa Brescia brought beauty, poise, seductiveness and tenderness to her role which was juxtaposed between father and son. She made the obligatory transition in the play as easily as she transitioned into the leading role.
Ms. Tharp has a collection of dancers that are my kind of guys. She can make a damn good offensive line.... or for that matter, virtually any starting line-up for any team sport. Athletic, full of energy and willing to dance to the driving beat of “Maggie’s Farm” and “Like a Rolling Stone”, they proved a kinetic background appropriate for the music and the theme.
Those who expect an explanatory interpretation of Dylan’s life or a sociological anthology of movements who embraced his music, will be disappointed.....and would underestimate the creativity of Dylan’s lasting music and Tharp’s creative interpretation. Those who want to hear Dylan’s songs sung by Dylan should attend his next concert such as the one I am taking my daughter to in Denver in two weeks. She, at 22 years old, is a huge Dylan fan and would thoroughly enjoy the musical. If you want to hear Dylan’s songs sung like Dylan did, go hear an Arlo Guthrie concert.
There will be a group for whom this presentation does not appeal, but when was the last time you saw a show that appealed to everyone? But if you never really like Dylan, didn’t understand all of his metaphors, found it to be irritating, are not interested in an unique evening at the theater, don’t like rock and roll and want what you have seen may years before, this is most likely a show you won’t enjoy. If, however, you love Dylan and/or Tharp and want a unique, unanticipated but exhilarating and poignant evening, go see The Times They Ar |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 19 |
Good Idea, Bad Experience Review by: Dylan Fan, Oct 14, 2006 |
| This show was fun for about 10 minutes, and then all the shortcomings became the clearest thing about it. First the good news. The band was great, playing from an elevated platform, I liked the lead guitar alot. The dancers were talented and enthusiastic. Now the bad news. The story made no sense, and the sets lacked imagination. Not what I expect for a hundred plus dollar ticket. The lead singer had a good voice, but did nothing for Dylan's ... read more music. All wrong. The second lead had style and charisma, but was limited. The female lead also didn't fit well with this material and is supposedly replaced now. One or two nice moments, otherwise a total failure for this play. I saw it on September 28 and can only hope they fix it soon! |
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Times is Contrived - Review by: Cameo, Oct 13, 2006 |
| Saw the show on Thursday October 5, 2006. This Twlya Tharp Production falls short. Saw and loved Mama Mia that I would almost give a 10, Movin Out (Joel/Tharp) an 8, this show is struggling for a 5 and passability. The dancing was great - the male lead's voice exciting, but the show seemed contrived, with many songs missing the mark or telling the wrong story. For the record I grew up with Dylan and his music and love the man and what he stands ... read more for. Thank goodness for BroadwayBox. Fortunately bought Discount Seats which soothed some of the pain - full price would have been a much more difficult pill to swallow. |
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Not a hit with me Review by: theater gal, Oct 9, 2006 |
| Saw the show on 10/9/06. I am a dance educator and can usually find something to love about any show, play, or theater experience. I wanted to like this and tried so hard to find something to hang onto during the long hour and half. The dancers were amazing, well trained technically, entertaining and energetic. It must be so hard for them to grasp any sense of anything, since this show is a mess. It looked like a bad dream - just bad. I ... read more couldn't for the life of me figure it out. My husband, a Dylan fan and also a theater person, gave up after about the 4th song. I never saw so many people leaving their seats at a show. That's probably why there is no intermission - no one would come back. Twyla is such a talented choreographer and these dancers are amazing, but there is no story or play to work with. I left with a headache and was disturbed by this theater event. |
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Review by: Logan Parker, Oct 8, 2006 |
Well, I saw The Times They Are A Changin' on Wednesday night Sept 27,2006. Sorry to say that the show is a big energetic mess. They try and impose a narrative to string the Dylan songs together and it is so perplexing, unintelligible and irrelevant that you don't know or eventually care what the hell is going on. The lead guy Michael Arden has a beautiful voice, but can not act, emote or move to save his life. And is totally miscast in terms ... read more of having anything to do with the weight and importance of Bob Dylan songs. He delivers some of them like a boy band lead, a theater show boy, or an American Idol contestant. He prettifies and grandstand belts some of the songs for showstoppers that drive all the life, importance and grit out of these fabulous and historical Dylan songs. The female lead Caren Lyn Manuel too has an incredibly beautiful voice, but luckily can act, emote and move. She tries in vain to add elements of theater and character to very slim and unfocused material. The other lead Thomas Sesma is a great expressive singer and a genuine theatrical presence, but can not do much with the misguided and irrelevant material. And we know that Bob Dylan is anything but irrelevant! This show, rather than highlighting the great songs of Bob Dylan diminishes them at every turn. At times it is laughable, like watching them performed on The Lawrence Welk show , where they become soulless and corny. The production is manic and overcaffinated. You can never connect to what is happening on stage or to the characters. I tried in vain for the smallest hook to pull me into the show but could never find my way in.I will say that all the dancers are fantastic and work their butts off and their hearts out to deliver the goods, but have the misfortune of working with bad material. The dancers are a pleasure and wonder to watch. But their choreographed numbers have no relation to Dylan songs or are so literal that it is laughable. Maggies Farm and Lay Lady Lay being two examples of this. There is an unbelievable and uninvolving love story that Ms. Tharp tries to impose on the material. It seems to come out of nowhere and has no chemistry or meaning. The whole production is like a zany riot gone amuck. She uses a circus motif for the show and I guess it is supposed to stand as a metaphor for this "C R A A A Z Z Y" world, although i can't really be sure. What Twyla Tharp is trying to say is a complete mystery, and seems quite pointless .I believe one of her biggest
mistakes is to remove the Dylan songs from their historical context.
As I noted the dancers are amazing and skilled, and the choreography is acrobatic and flowing with the unmistakable stamp of Twyla Tharp, but seems to have nothing to do with anything. Some of the dance numbers to the Dylan songs remind me of those big production numbers at the Academy Awards, overproduced, overdramatic, totally misguided from the song and kind of laughable. It is really too bad about all this , when you have amazing major talents like Bob Dylan and Twyla Tharp coming together with a talented cast of singers , dancers, and wonderful musicians to deliver this mess. If Bob Dylan were dead he would be rolling in his grave, thankfully he is not but this show
sure does it's damndest to kill his great and important songs. |
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| 23 |
Review by: Broadway fan, Oct 3, 2006 |
| The show was horrendous and anyone that loves Dylan's music will feel the same way. The older performer has a beautiful voice but I hated the costume and his role. The yunger singer sounds like Neil Sedaka and runined every song he sang. the female is beyond terrible. the dancers were amazing! The show is a big disaapointment. There are much better singers at Ellen's Stardust on any wednesday afternoon - |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Energetic Dancing-Good Singing and Musicians- Bad Arrangements!! Review by: Crestofwaves, Sep 30, 2006 |
Energetic Dancing- Good Singing- Good Musicians- Bad Arrangements
I could take the dreamscape and circus metaphor of this Twyla Tharpe redition of Bob Dylan's music, but how dare they muck up his music!!!! I felt as if Lawrence Welk made the musical arrangements. I was very disappointed in the music. However the dancing was great, and the lead, Coyote had a lovely voice but he sang the way Bobby tap danced on the Welk show--no soul. ... read more If Dylan were dead, he would roll over in his grave over Forever Young especially.
Too bad, but the play was bad. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 25 |
Great music & Dancing Review by: , Sep 29, 2006 |
The music and dancing are wonderful, live band is great.
The dancers are just unbelievable, so talented.
I really enjoyed it, but my only complaint was the female lead,who left me cold.
Still, definately worth seeing, especially if you like Bob Dylan's music. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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