‘Times They Are a-Changin”: the bizarre tale of the Bob Dylan Broadway Musical
The music of Bob Dylan has always been rooted in both rebellion and social commentary. Following in the footsteps of radical folk heroes like Woody Guthrie, the Minnesota-born songwriter quickly became one of the defining voices of 1960s counterculture, introducing an entirely new generation to the revolutionary potential of folk music. Since then, Dylan’s music has largely transcended genre, fandom and even time, but that hasn’t stopped a few opportunists from attempting to make a bit of brass out of his incredible discography.
For as long as there has been rebellious music, there have been those determined to turn it into a profit-making scheme. This capitalist-centric attitude towards the music world is something that is totally at odds with the ethos and message of Bob Dylan’s music, but over the years, the folk songwriter has given his seal of approval to some truly bizarre revenue streams based upon his work. Perhaps the strangest of all came in 2006, when a big-budget musical based upon his life and music debuted in San Diego to a laughably bad reception.
At this point, you are probably thinking that the folk music popularised by Bob Dylan is often quite gentle, wordy and sincere. Surely, therefore, it would be difficult to adapt his music to the world of musical theatre? You would certainly be correct in that analysis, but that fact did not stop Twyla Tharp from conceiving The Times They Are a-Changin’, featuring the music of Bob Dylan rendered in that typical musical theatre style. After opening in San Diego in 2006, the musical soon relocated to Broadway, in the heart of the city where Dylan had first made his name. How insulting.
Even stranger than the idea of concocting a musical using Bob Dylan tracks, the plot of the production reads like a fever dream. The core trio of the cast revolved around Captain Ahrab, a circus master, Cleo, a circus performer and Coyote, the son of Ahrab. Essentially, the musical told a coming-of-age story about the conflict between the evil circus master and his son, with a variety of circus performers and contortionists thrown in for good measure. After all, who hasn’t listened to ‘It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)’ and immediately thought about clowns and big top circuses?
Prior to devising The Times They Are a-Changin’, Tharp had been responsible for Movin’ Out, a dance musical based on the music of Billy Joel. This production had been largely successful, running for over three years on Broadway. As a result, Dylan himself contacted the choreographer to suggest a collaborative project, though he did not end up having any creative input into the final musical. The pop rock of Billy Joel probably lends itself to the glitz, glamour and commercial appeal of musical theatre much easier than the personal and often intimate songwriting of Bob Dylan.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Tharp’s musical rendering of Dylan’s discography was disastrous. Immediately, the musical was panned by theatre critics and audiences alike. After opening on Broadway on October 26th 2006, the musical closed on November 19th, lasting less than a month.
Although Dylan did not have much of a say in the production, Tharp later recalled, in her 2009 book The Collaborative Habit, that the songwriter had given her his blessing for the musical. “He arrived early. He paid close attention. He gave his blessing. And off he went,” she recalled. So, perhaps Dylan is not totally free of blame for the musical monstrosity that was The Times They Are a-Changin’.