re: THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' - 6th Preview - 9/29/06

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 2:38am

**SPOILERS**

First of all, I want to say that the first time I ever heard Bob Dylan (Yes, I ONLY listen to showtunes) was about two weeks ago when my coworker and friend lent me her double CD of The Best of Bob Dylan. I expected to hate it, but there really were a bunch of good songs...was looking forward to hearing them in the show. Got tickets on tdf for me, said coworker, my boss and her husband - all three HUGE Dylan fans.

Disclaimer: I realize that this was only the 6th preview and that the cast and crew has a month to make changes, develop their characters and make the show better. The following review is just my opinion based on this preview performance (which some people did pay $111.25 to see).

Let's start with THE GOOD:
1. The music. Bob Dylan's music may not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed a lot of his songs and I thought the arrangements for Broadway were, for the most part, very good.
2. The band. I have to mention the band. They sounded great and were really on tonight.
3. Michael Arden. He has a fantastic singing voice and made the most of a part that is difficult to do much with.

THE BAD:
1. Thom Sesma: He was ok, but just didn't wow me. His singing voice was fine, but his part just seemed very underwritten.
2. Caren Lyn Manuel. How is it possible that she got this role out of all those who auditioned? I can totally picture Jen Coella or Lisa Brescia in this role, but Caren just lacked something. Her singing was ok but the role just fell flat. Maybe it was just so underwritten that there was nothing she could do with it.
3. The choreography. I loved Twyla Tharp's choreography in MOVIN' OUT, but this was not well done. It is not completely her fault though since Dylan's music is not really conducive to choreography. I also just don't get modern dance...that may have prevented me from enjoying the show more.

THE UGLY:
1. The storyline. It was another show where there were no spoken lines and the entire storyline was told through dance and songs. The setting as written in the playbill was "Sometime between awake and asleep," but the setting from my perspective was a traveling circus. It was about Captain Ahrab (Sesma), who owned the circus and his relationship with his son Coyote (Arden). After the father dies, Cleo (Manuel), a woman who works in the circus, comforts Coyote and the two fall in love. It was very cheesey and cliche and while it was going on, I didn't ever feel for any of the characters and didn't care what happened to them.
2. The dog. Throughout the show, a dog (played by a dancer) would run around the stage randomly...never uttered a word though. It reminded me of the Unicorn in MERLIN and the imaginary friend in INTO THE LIGHT (both of whom never spoke and just ran around the stage distracing and annoying the audience).
3. The skeleton shadow. Yes, at the end of "Mr. Tambourine Man," from behind a curtain, we saw a shadow of one of the dancers holding a skeleton on his back. Totally random and reminded me of the skeleton from IN MY LIFE.
4. God on stilts. In one of the first musical numbers, when God was mentioned, he walked out to center stage wearing stilts, stood there for a bit, and then exited up stage left. Bizarre.
5. Flashlights. During "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," the stage was completely black and Thom Sesma was singing this song, while he was dying. Some ensemble members were each holding flashlights and shining them in different directions to create some kind of effect that went right over my head.
6. Rolling Stones. During "Like A Rolling Stone," large dark plastic balls were being rolled across the stage.
7. The Highway. During "Highway 61 Revisited," Caren Lyn Manuel came out on stage with her body completely wrapped in some material. She got on the floor and rolled that material off her only to reveal a highway, complete with dashed lines.
8. Jump Rope. During one of the numbers, the entire ensmeble was jumping rope - singles and double dutch - for no reason at all. The large rope was then used to form a wrestling ring.
9. Animal Costumes. During "Man Gave Names to All the Animals," the ensemble was dressed as animals in very cheap, cheesy-looking costumes, while jumping through hoola hoops.

There were two curtain calls at the show - one of them needs to be cut - but the audience was not very responsive tonight...obviously most of them didn't enjoy it. On my way out, I saw one man throw his playbill to the ground and say "That was such a waste of my time." Three women near the stagedoor were also talking about the possibility of it closing soon (but they were obviously speculating). The stagedoor was also empty. I was practically the only person waiting (wanted to meet Michael Arden), and he did come out and was very gracious. I didn't recognize any of the ensemble members or the other two leads...they all wear a lot of makeup in this show, so it was hard to tell at the stage door who the actors were.

Overall, and I am truly sorry to say this, I thought the show was a theatrical disaster and artistic failure. Buy tickets at your own risk.
Updated On: 9/30/06 at 02:38 AM

[SahDu]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 3:14am

Thanks for the review! Very in depth. I'm sure many people will also appreciate your disclaimer. Let's hope the show improves to keep the actors at work.


Updated On: 2/15/14 at 03:14 AM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 4:29am

WithoutaTrace, I think you were sitting right behind me. I recognized you from your photo before the show, but didn't want to ask, be wrong, and look like a fool! I was in Mezz row G seat 110 wearing an orange jacket. Anyway, the point is, I agree with everything you said. Michael and the band were really the only thing that were decent about the show. Caren was not only bad, but rather DREADFUL and completely amateurish. Can you even call the dancing choreography? I feel like there was more dancing in The History Boys, this was just bad acrobatics, and lots of walking around the stage aimlessly with far too many props and flashlights. This show blows!
-BJH

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 8:16am

WoT - another great review - the best so far I've read of the show.

Sounds like a piece of crap.

I have to see it.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 8:48am

thanks for the review, WAT

i expected it to would turn out bad, and i guess i was right

the story line itself seems ridiculous enough, and all those other things like the plastic balls and jump ropes...crazy

but yeah, thanks

:)

i feel sorry for the cast.

[leefowler]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 8:53am

Without A Trace-

Wow, that was one of the best written reviews I've read on this site! I'm seeing it on Tuesday, can't wait, good or bad.

[Amneris]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 10:50am

I saw the show this week and felt exactly the same way sadly.

[jennafan]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 11:08am

** Spoilers ***
It sounds like Tharp didn't make that many changes from the San Diego run. I absolutely hated the jump rope scene and the whole boxing ring. I thought for sure that would be taken out, it's just so out of place. The animal costumes were bad, too. You could tell that scene was created only because of the song. I think they should of cut that song completely instead of using the horrible costumes.

I remember the flashlight scene being something the audience really enjoyed. I actually liked that part.

I think if Tharp hasn't fixed what was wrong in SD, I don't think she has enough time now to completely change it. How long do you all think the show will last on Broadway?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 11:16am

Since Tharp came up with the entire concept of the show, isn't it her fault that the music doesn't inspire great dances?

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 11:47am

I'm seeing it on Saturday. Can't wait to hear Michael Arden singing those songs again. I know I'm going to miss Jen Collela in it though- she was AWESOME, and her replacement sounds completely mediocre. People liked the flashlight scene when I saw the show, and I really liked it too... Other than that, I can see where you're coming from with your review, WithoutaTrace. I really enjoyed the references to Merlin, In My Life, and Into the Light.

[ruprecht]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 11:49am

Withoutatrace, thanks for the great and detailed review. It echo's much of the sentiments I heard from my friends who went to the first preview. I'm going tonight, so I'll make sure to add to this thread afterwards.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 11:52am

glad to hear Michael is awesome.


which i KNEW he would be

DUh

[mint0621]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 12:02pm

I completely agree with everything you said, as sad as that is! I always want shows to do well.

I saw in SD, and everyone kept on saying how Twyla Tharp is continually changing it, and how it will be greatly improved for Broadway...sadly, I couldn't see how many changes could be made for it to be a great show.

I disagree with Thom Sesma however; I thought he was amazing. Perhaps tonight was an off-night?

In the end, I didn't really 1) care about the characters, and 2) everything so so dam* literal. People acting stoned, God on stilts, Michael Arden on a moon...all because the lyrics say so, even though it doesn't fit in the plot. Very confusing.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 12:27pm

I precdicted that this show would be awful...guess I was right.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 1:56pm

I hated Movin' Out, so I was going to skip this anyways, but people like Tharp, Billy Joel or Dylan, should not do anything Broadway-related. Thanks for the great review.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 2:06pm

I guess since Movin Out was a hit they figured we can do the same thing again & just subsitute composers

They may be finding out it is not as easy as it sounds. Annie 2 & Nick & Nora were supposed to be shoe ins. The rest is history

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 2:09pm

I also saw the show last night.
Almost everything you said is spot on.
Although I was actually slightly pleasantly surprised, being a huge Dylan fan I really expected to hate the misuse of everything, but one or two moments where the greatness of the material was allowed to shine were actually present.
Then there were hideous moments, followed by more and more.

[directorkid]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 5:47pm

so upset to hear all this. i know the cast has such high hopes for the peice and are all working their butts off! I hope twyla can go in a fix it. I'll be seeing it a few days after opening, and have high hopes for it and my friend Michael. I wish nothing but the best and will continue to check it for reviews and hope to hear that there is fixing happening!

[uwho]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 6:06pm

Hooray for Twyla for being a daring visionary. I think the show is good and has more potential than given credit for here in this forum. I'm sorry a lot of you are missing the heart and soul in this show,I saw it when I went. I enjoyed the music and the feelings and the images that were put out there. The performances are wonderful. Maybe I'm not as critical, as I tend to enjoy most live performances. Just for a hint of what may lie deeper in this show, watch "Broadway: The American Musical: Disk 3

[bjh2114]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 7:03pm

Uwho, there may be an underlying heart and soul in this show. Nobody is arguing that. But, for the show to be on Broadway, it has to be solid in all of its technical aspects as well. And the bottom line is, Caren and Thom's vocals were subpar, and the dancing quality was not impressive. I am sure just replacing the performers (besides Michael Arden) with ones who are amazing performers would, by itself, improve the piece by 50%.

[dented146]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 7:06pm

I saw the show in San Diego. Being a huge Dylan fan, I was pleased to know that his music would get great exposure with a younger crowd. I thought the performances were fine but I suspected that the format would be problematic. I hope they can work on this and find an audience.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 7:14pm

"I hope they can work on this and find an audience"

Just because a few people disliked it, it doesn't mean that the show doesn't have an audience or that it is a flop.

Updated On: 9/30/06 at 07:14 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 7:28pm

Who ever said it didn't have an audience?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 7:43pm

I'll be honest....I stage-doored this afternoon. Michael, Caren, and Thom, as well as many ensemble members, John Selya included, came out and were all very gracious.

It's a bad sign, though, to overhear a crew member talking to an audience member about liking the show:

CM: Hey, didja like the show?
AM: Well the band was good....

Thom said that today's crowd was the best they've had since they started.

[jennafan]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 7:50pm

I loved Thom's voice when I saw it in SD. He was amazing.