I just got back from seeing it. For the record, I think Twyla Tharp is a genius, and I thought Movin' Out was quite a masterpiece. Perhaps the saddest thing about The Times They are a Changin' is that it could probably have been brilliant -- all of the components are wonderful, but she just couldn't string them together and execute the show well. The pieces are all excellent, but the show is a mess -- yet it has so, so much potential.
The concept, dealing with tyranny, oppression and rebellion is resonant, and really, brilliant. I don't think there's anything wrong with the idea, but rather with the execution. Movin' Out worked so well because it was truly a ballet -- not to mention the fact that I think Billy Joel's music lends itself somewhat better to telling a story than does Bob Dylan's. Movin' Out was a show told through dance, whereas The Times They are a Changin' is about the characters portrayed by the dancers (the clowns); there's a fundamental difference. Telling the story through dance worked, but the meeting of that concept with more traditional musical theater performance didn't work, because this time, dance took the back seat and told relatively little, but there was too little supplement for the missing pieces. I think if Tharp was going to have her actors sing, rather than having the music come from elsewhere and the story be told by the dancers, she needed dialogue scenes to act as connective tissue. The lack of something like that made the plot feel underdeveloped, and was a huge contribution to the fact that the show is largely a snooze-fest.
Michael Arden, as we all well know, is fantastically talented. What a voice on him, and he's just captivating. Lisa Brescia is one of my favorite performers, and she sounds wonderful but she's sadly underused. All of the dancers are excellent. John Selya is absolutely magnetic. The sets and costumes are fittingly elaborate -- at times a little gaudy, but they should be, and the lighting effects are very well-done.
All of the right elements are there, but the result is a misguided mess, and it's such a shame that Tharp couldn't make lighting strike twice.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
Updated On: 11/10/06 at 10:44 PM
