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Equal
parts Cirque de Soleil and American Idol,
Twyla Tharp’s The Times They Are A-Changin’
confirms it: the vox populi now dictates the
cultural aesthetic.
Visually arresting, thanks to Santo
Loquasto’s imaginative set – a sort of
homage to Depression-era carnivals – and
wildly energetic, thanks to a talented corps
of Tharp’s tried-and-true favorites, the
show as a whole is significantly less than
the sum of its dynamic parts.
All three leads, singers rather than
singer-dancers (and barely dancers), come
across as contestants for the audience’s
final vote. There’s no question these people
can sing – but to what end? What are they
singing for? Not often to each other, and
rarely in service to the narrative.
Often as incoherent as a dream, the
storyline concerns a father-son dynamic,
with a woman tossed into the mix as a sort
of bouncing ball between the two males. As
played by Lisa Brescia, the female lead,
identified in the program as “Cleo, a
runaway” (and given her style of singing,
she might well have run away from the Grand
Ole Opry), is too old for the son as played
by a barely-able-to-shave Michael Arden, and
their scenes read tentative, as if she’s
fearful of robbing the cradle. Thom Sesma,
as Captain Ahrab, the abusive father, has
riveting stage presence, and in “Desolation
Row” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” two
numbers which are beautifully and
dramatically staged, his character reveals
aspects of his being which give the audience
something to cling to, something to care
about – if only for a few minutes.
The show works best when the clown corps is
in full frantic motion, and in the movements
of these seven gifted dancers, it’s possible
to discern character. Using only movement
and occasional sounds, the dancers
ultimately make these clowns more fully
realized than the father, son, and lady
love.
More a dance company recital at times, only
to then become a singing competition a few
minutes later, The Times They Are A-Changin’
too often gives the impression of being at
the mercy of someone with a fidgety finger
on the remote control.
Perhaps most sadly, the show misses an
opportunity to substantiate the timely
relevance of Bob Dylan’s music and lyrics at
this point in American history. Without the
incendiary music of the times, the social
protests of the Sixties might not have swept
the nation. Forty years later, Dylan’s music
still has much to teach the American
citizenry – but it’s going to take a whole
lot more than a visit to this circus.
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