#1
Posted: 10/14/06 at 1:04am
I know it is late to have just returned, but give a guy a break.
Tonight I atteneded THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN', and I already want to make a return trip.
I will do my best to keep this reasonably brief.
The Bad. Twyla Tharp is a FANTASTIC choeographer who turns out stunning work. She is a passable director... however as a book writer/conceiver/scenarist.. she is horrid. The playbill includes a page, as well as an insert that provides a general synopsis. Thankfully. Had I not read it, I would have been lost. The 'characters' are drawn FAR too broadly and barely exist.
I am trying to avoid a comparision to Movin' Out, but for this comment to make sense, I must. In Movin' Out, the songs are performed by a visible band and singer who are not really a part of the action... The provide almost a SOUNDTRACK. Therefore, it works and is acceptable if the lyrics do not make perfect sense as a storytelling vehicle but convey the emotion of the moment. here, the songs are performed by the CHARACTERS. There is no book or dialogue, only several moments in mime. there is no way to transition from song to song or set it up. Because the songs come from the characters, they reallys hould advance the story, but they don't.. they provide a soundtrack... but since the CHARACTERS perfom them.. it doesn;t fly.
Her staging faulters at moments where her choreography and staging, while impressive, distracts you from the action that should be in your focus.
There are more than a handfull of moments where I did have a "huh" reaction.
The good. Pretty much everything else.
Of the threee principals, there is not a weak link. Michael Arden is the best voice I have heard from him and Lisa Brescia is thrilling. Vocally. In this show, they get every oportunity to blow the roof off and show of their vocal prowess. And they do. Sadly, Ms Tharp has not given them any oprtunity to show anything else. Thom Sesma will satisfy those wanting to hear a Bob Dylan SOUND. Brava to these three for not only their vocals, but being able to find anything resembling a character.
I paid specific attention to Ms Brescia and her role, Cleo, due to the.. chaotic.. nature of the casting for that role. While I can't image someone else topping Ms Brescia, I can't see why any of the other actresses could have possibly turned in a perfomance to lose them the job unless they just could not sing. Frankly, the role is so loosely sketched you could fit in any age or type.. the only specifc thing about the role is that she is from the "east".
Michael Arden, as always, has a stellar voice that never fails to please and boy could he work the audience.
The ensemble in this show is jawdropping. 6 males and 1 female. All I can really say is WOW. One dancer portrayed Chloe's dog.. WONDERFULLY (though the dog 'costume' was.. odd). They were one stage pretty much the entire show singing, dancing (MAN where they dancing!), clowning, and doing any and every stunt from tumbles, to trampoline, to stilt work, to tight rope walking, and even a CONTORTIONIST who bent himself is ways you wouldn't believe. IF you can find no other reason to see this, go just to see this unbeliveably phenominal copmany of gypsies. SO hard to single out any of the 7, though I am especially fond of Ron Todorowski.
I agree that the curtain call was excessive.
The set, I thought, was great. very well designed. The one thing that bugged me was that another higher than 10 feet, at the back, was the back wall of the theatre. When you broke it down, the set was almost non existant, yet it managed to fill the entire space... The circus tent poles supporting some of the lighting was interesting. The pres-show set was very interesting and a great conversation starter, though as much focus as they placed on the moon over the audience before the show, I had expected to find it more significant IN the show. I highly enjoyed the trampolined apron, but I found the planks placed over it in places to give a solid playing area where distracting.
Kudos to Peter Hylenski for a standout sound design. It managed to be both quiet AND loud and very rock and roll, though NEVER overpowering or blaring and his sound rig was not at all intrusive.. No excessively large speakers here. The only LARGE speakers where very well hidden in teh first boxes and not all noticable.
Dold Holder turns in first rate work with his lights here. I can't be firm since it is still early in teh season, but I geneuinely believe he will be a heavy contender, if not winner, for his lights come award season.
CAST LIST ::
Michael Arden (Coyote)
Thom Sesma (Capt. Ahrab)
Lisa Brescia (Cleo)
Ensemble::
Lisa Gajda
neil Haskell
Jason McDole
Charlie Neshyba-Hodges
Jonathan Nosan
John Selya
Ron Todorowski
Swings::
Alexander Brady
Alaina Kashian
Keith Kuhl
Marty Lawson
Joseph Putignano
Cary Tedder
Standbys::
Jason Wooten
John Herrera
Production design by Santo Loquasto
Lighting design by Donald Holder
Sound Design by Peter Hylenski
If anyone wants anything more specific, feel free to ask.
Tonight I atteneded THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN', and I already want to make a return trip.
I will do my best to keep this reasonably brief.
The Bad. Twyla Tharp is a FANTASTIC choeographer who turns out stunning work. She is a passable director... however as a book writer/conceiver/scenarist.. she is horrid. The playbill includes a page, as well as an insert that provides a general synopsis. Thankfully. Had I not read it, I would have been lost. The 'characters' are drawn FAR too broadly and barely exist.
I am trying to avoid a comparision to Movin' Out, but for this comment to make sense, I must. In Movin' Out, the songs are performed by a visible band and singer who are not really a part of the action... The provide almost a SOUNDTRACK. Therefore, it works and is acceptable if the lyrics do not make perfect sense as a storytelling vehicle but convey the emotion of the moment. here, the songs are performed by the CHARACTERS. There is no book or dialogue, only several moments in mime. there is no way to transition from song to song or set it up. Because the songs come from the characters, they reallys hould advance the story, but they don't.. they provide a soundtrack... but since the CHARACTERS perfom them.. it doesn;t fly.
Her staging faulters at moments where her choreography and staging, while impressive, distracts you from the action that should be in your focus.
There are more than a handfull of moments where I did have a "huh" reaction.
The good. Pretty much everything else.
Of the threee principals, there is not a weak link. Michael Arden is the best voice I have heard from him and Lisa Brescia is thrilling. Vocally. In this show, they get every oportunity to blow the roof off and show of their vocal prowess. And they do. Sadly, Ms Tharp has not given them any oprtunity to show anything else. Thom Sesma will satisfy those wanting to hear a Bob Dylan SOUND. Brava to these three for not only their vocals, but being able to find anything resembling a character.
I paid specific attention to Ms Brescia and her role, Cleo, due to the.. chaotic.. nature of the casting for that role. While I can't image someone else topping Ms Brescia, I can't see why any of the other actresses could have possibly turned in a perfomance to lose them the job unless they just could not sing. Frankly, the role is so loosely sketched you could fit in any age or type.. the only specifc thing about the role is that she is from the "east".
Michael Arden, as always, has a stellar voice that never fails to please and boy could he work the audience.
The ensemble in this show is jawdropping. 6 males and 1 female. All I can really say is WOW. One dancer portrayed Chloe's dog.. WONDERFULLY (though the dog 'costume' was.. odd). They were one stage pretty much the entire show singing, dancing (MAN where they dancing!), clowning, and doing any and every stunt from tumbles, to trampoline, to stilt work, to tight rope walking, and even a CONTORTIONIST who bent himself is ways you wouldn't believe. IF you can find no other reason to see this, go just to see this unbeliveably phenominal copmany of gypsies. SO hard to single out any of the 7, though I am especially fond of Ron Todorowski.
I agree that the curtain call was excessive.
The set, I thought, was great. very well designed. The one thing that bugged me was that another higher than 10 feet, at the back, was the back wall of the theatre. When you broke it down, the set was almost non existant, yet it managed to fill the entire space... The circus tent poles supporting some of the lighting was interesting. The pres-show set was very interesting and a great conversation starter, though as much focus as they placed on the moon over the audience before the show, I had expected to find it more significant IN the show. I highly enjoyed the trampolined apron, but I found the planks placed over it in places to give a solid playing area where distracting.
Kudos to Peter Hylenski for a standout sound design. It managed to be both quiet AND loud and very rock and roll, though NEVER overpowering or blaring and his sound rig was not at all intrusive.. No excessively large speakers here. The only LARGE speakers where very well hidden in teh first boxes and not all noticable.
Dold Holder turns in first rate work with his lights here. I can't be firm since it is still early in teh season, but I geneuinely believe he will be a heavy contender, if not winner, for his lights come award season.
CAST LIST ::
Michael Arden (Coyote)
Thom Sesma (Capt. Ahrab)
Lisa Brescia (Cleo)
Ensemble::
Lisa Gajda
neil Haskell
Jason McDole
Charlie Neshyba-Hodges
Jonathan Nosan
John Selya
Ron Todorowski
Swings::
Alexander Brady
Alaina Kashian
Keith Kuhl
Marty Lawson
Joseph Putignano
Cary Tedder
Standbys::
Jason Wooten
John Herrera
Production design by Santo Loquasto
Lighting design by Donald Holder
Sound Design by Peter Hylenski
If anyone wants anything more specific, feel free to ask.
