Times They Are A-Changin' 11/11 Matinee Review

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 5:55pm

Well, the band was excellent.

I've learned in my vast experiences of theater-going that if you go into a show with ridiculously low expectations, so low that you expect nothing, you can be pleasantly surprised. I didn't love the Times, but, I found it pretty enjoyable, in the "it's so bad it's good" vein.

Of course, the premise is ridiculous. Captain Ahrab, the dictator of a rundown circus, treats everyone around him poorly, from his son, Coyote and girlfriend, Cleo, to her dog and the circus clowns. One day, the clowns revolt, kill Ahrab, and make Coyote (who, through some way is now dating Cleo) head of the circus. The end. My pinky could have come up with a better plot.

The cast is incredibly talented, it's a shame to see the show closing so soon. Michael Arden, Thom Sesma, and Lisa Brescia are all superb, with wonderful voices. Throughout the show, it seemed like Arden and Sesma were trying to do their best Bob Dylan - you could barely understand a word either of them were saying in a few of the songs. Still, they were great. Dylan's music never sounded so good. The dancing ensemble, led by Lisa Gadja and John Selya, are great, making the most of the ridiculous steps Twyla's given them. The band, alone, made the show worthy of a recording, but that will not happen.

Twyla's manic choreography is one of the major downfalls, besides the story. It looked like she was going for something innovative but ended up copying Cirque de Soleil. Still, the ensemble makes it look very easy. The contortionist made the audience groan with horror, much to his apparent delight. She has placed an intense amount of symbolism - everything from Jesus imagery to Herman Mellville's Moby Dick.

Santo Loquasto's sets and costumes are both Tony-nomination-worthy, as is Donald Holder's lighting. It is a visually stunning show.

Thom and Michael did the BCEFA plea at the end to the crowd, all of whom were walking out while they were talking. They didn't have anything for sale, just drop some $ in the bucket and get an AIDS ribbon.

Stage Door: The cast members were all extremely friendly, happy for the crowd's support and lamenting the impending closure. When asked about a CD recording, Michael Arden replied "No recording. Thank Ben Brantley for that." Thom plead for the people who enjoyed the show to write letters to the General Management and Producers. Lisa Bresica and Craig Carnelia were both lovely to talk to (Craig has a new songbook coming out in a week or two, he said). And then out walks Twyla Tharp, why she was there I don't really know. She was happy to sign autographs and take photos.

Just go see the show before it closes. You may like it.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 5:58pm

Lisa Brescia is a really beautiful soul - I'm glad you got the chance to talk to her.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 5:59pm

Didn't Twyla say that she was going to be at every show in her F*ck the critics speach?

I sat next to her in San Diego, it was cool. She took notes the whole show and then left right before bows. (It was closing night)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 6:11pm

PS: they took out the song list from the Playbill (I have one of the earlier editions with Caren listed) and replaced it with a summary. Odd, I thought.

[fakeblue]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 6:11pm

thanks for your review! I'm glad to hear they were still fine. and I'm jealous. just jealous that you've seen this show again.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 6:16pm

I said something similar in another thread, but I have to disagree with your assessment that the premise is ridiculous. I think the premise is brilliant, and it's miserably executed. It comes off looking ridiculouson the surface -- the clowns are unhappy so they kill the ringleader, but think about the ideas it's presenting. I think you have to look past the simplicity of the plot and look at what it says, and I think to come up with that storyline out of the ideas in Dylan's music could have been incredibly interesting. I don't think there's anything ludicrious about setting those kinds of images in a dream sequence, or a fantasy-land or even a fairly simplistic plot by any measure, but the whole thing is sadly disjointed.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 6:34pm

Emcee - a very valid point and, as I keep thinking about it, I more and more agree with you in some ways. I didn't even factor in the whole dream sequence/fantasy element - I purposely overlooked that element and don't even know where the whole thing fits in. I do agree with you - that to come up with this kind of a plot is pretty intriguing. It's just very poorly executed and, in effect, comes off badly.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 6:37pm

... at least I don't think it's meant to be real. I'm pretty sure the little blurb in the Playbill talks about how it's fantastical. Kind of like a dark fairy tale, you know?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 6:40pm

Oh yes, it does. I just deliberately overlooked it. I thought it was unnecessary, for some reason.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 6:42pm

I sort of learned from experience with Movin' Out. That little blurb helped me understand what was going on and that show wasn't even all too complex, so I figured it was there for a reason.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 8:26pm

I think they should have left in the song list and taken out the plot. Even this plot wasn't THAT hard to follow....I would like to know the names of the songs, even though they weren't in order in the original edition.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 8:31pm

Song List
Blowin' in the Wind
Desolation Row
Dignity
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Everything Is Broken
Forever Young
Gotta Serve Somebody
Highway 61 Revisited
I Believe in You
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Just Like a Woman
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Lay Lady Lay
Like a Rolling Stone
Maggie's Farm
Man Gave Names to All the Animals
Masters of War
Mr. Tambourine Man
Not Dark Yet
On a Night Like This
Please, Mrs. Henry
Rainy Day Women
Simple Twist of Fate
Summer Days
The Times They Are A-Changin'

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 8:32pm

Thanks, Neddy.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 8:33pm

Around the end will they have $5 to $10 tix like they did with Lestat? If so how do you get them?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 8:57pm

I think the blurb is helpful, because it explains the concept a little bit rather than just outlining the plot, which you'd know if you read it. I would've liked a song list in addition, though.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 9:03pm

Around the end will they have $5 to $10 tix like they did with Lestat? If so how do you get them?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 9:07pm

Did you really need to post that a second time?

[shiksa_goddess]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 9:15pm

Thanks for the review, Yankee! I think that the cast in the show is insanely talented, and it's sad that the show hasn't been recieved very well. I'll admit that the only thing about the show that intrigued me at first was Michael Arden, but after seeing the videos I did want to check it out.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 9:21pm

Well, I wanted to say it again but I was to lazy to re fraze it.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 9:24pm

I found this on The Times's website and I didn't know where to post it, so I guess I will post it here.

How is this musical different that Movin’ Out?
The major difference between this THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ and Movin’ Out is that in THE TIMES . . . the artist’s songs propel the narrative.

In Movin’ Out, Tharp’s Tony Award-winning choreography told the story of a group of friends from Long Island over the span of two decades, and Billy Joel’s songs, sung by one singer suspended above the action, provided the action’s emotional underscoring.

In THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’, Bob Dylan’s songs are used to tell the story of young man, Coyote, and his attempt to break away from his father, Capt. Ah Rab, and his father’s traveling circus. Dylan’s songs such as “Don’t Think Twice” and “Not Dark Yet” are used to tell the character’s stories and move the action forward, while others such as “Highway 61” and “Masters of War” are used as numbers within Ah Rab’s circus act

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:22pm

That song list isn't in order, is it? Maybe I'm going nuts.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:24pm

No it isn't.

They never put the songs in order in San Diego or Broadway, they have them in alphabetical order.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:31pm

Here is the song order, as I remember it:

The Times They Are A-Changin'
Highway 61 Revisited


Fill in blanks here.



I Believe in You
Forever Young



....Gee, I guess that's a bad sign when you can't remember any of the songs...

[ashley0139]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:33pm

I really wanted to see this show. I'm hoping to maybe take a trip into the city this weekend to see it before it closes. I really want to see Michael and Lisa. Glad it's at least a little enjoyable.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:36pm

Fraze? Oh God.