October 27, 2006

Critics positively hate 'Times They Are A-Changin''

"The Times They Are A-Changin'," Twyla Tharp's musical built around vintage Bob Dylan songs opened on Broadway last night. She should hope Dylan's upbeat opinion of the work is what matters most, because the critics haaate it.

Tharp, who had great success with the Billy Joel powered "Movin' Out," conceived, choreographed and directed the new production, which is set in a traveling circus.

"The Times They Are A-Changin'" has an open-ended run at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, located at 256 W. 47th St., map.

A sample of the reviews:

Daily News - " It holds limited appeal for Dylan disciples as well as for Broadway audiences seeking a sense of wonder, cohesion or emotion. There are lots of acrobatics and trampoline tricks, if that's your thing. Santo Loquasto's set and costumes are an eyeful. Donald Holder's lighting is dramatic."

Associated Press - "The story, if you can call it that, concerns a father, a son and a woman who seems to come between them. Dad is a gruff, grinning sadist called Captain Ahrab; son Coyote, an unhappy Candide-like youngster; and Cleo, a circus performer of mysterious origin. None of them is particularly well defined — or interesting."

New York Times - "If you happen to be among the masochists who make a habit of attending the entertainments called jukebox musicals, in which pop hits are beaten up by singing robots, you may think you’ve seen it all: the neutering of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys in 'Good Vibrations,' the canonizing (and shrinking) of John Lennon as a misunderstood angel-child in 'Lennon,' and the forcible transformation of Johnny Cash from Man in Black to Sunshine Cowboy in 'Ring of Fire.' But even these spectacles of torture with a smile, frightening though they may be, are but bagatelles compared with the systematic steamrolling of Bob Dylan that occurs in 'The Times They Are A-Changin’,' which opened last night at the Brooks Atkinson Theater."

Variety - "But the mercurial dance innovator slips up badly in a plodding, literal-minded fable that's vibrant and busy but also chaotic and narratively incoherent."

Sun - " Ms. Tharp is aiming for something challenging and profound, a visual analogue to Mr. Dylan's irascible roots-rock myths. And just as Mr. Dylan's weakest albums still eclipse so many of their contemporaries, I'd personally rather watch Ms. Tharp flounder than see so many other directors succeed at lesser tasks."

Post - "Apparently, the idea for a Dylan musical came from Dylan himself. If so, he should have written fresh songs, and not relied upon his redoubtable but essentially unstageable songbook. Or he might have had some directorial hack - which Tharp is not - put on a superior jukebox musical. "

Wall Street Journal - "'The Times They Are A-Changin'' is so bad that it makes you forget how good the songs are."

Newsday - "For all the gorgeous and diabolical virtuosity, however, this 90-minute experiment, which opened last night, gets lost in its own messy - all right, preachy - allegorical ambitions."

Hollywood Reporter - "At times, the staging succumbs to cuteness, as when the dancers are forced to imitate various circus animals. But there also are many clever ideas on display, including the adroit use of flashlights for the eerie number, 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door.'"

USA Today - "So it shouldn't surprise that 'Times,' which opened Thursday at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, is, if uneven, more imaginative and intriguing than Tharp's last Broadway outing, the Billy Joel showcase 'Movin' Out.'"

Newark Star-Ledger - "Don't be surprised if "The Times They Are A-Changin'" will be movin' out of the Atkinson fairly soon."

Earlier: Bob Dylan likes Bob Dylan musical, you hear?
Understudy takes over key role in new Bob Dylan musical
Big Bob Dylan fall: Broadway, Lincoln Center, Morgan

October 27, 2006 10:22 AM in Broadway

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