Don’t expect that Twyla Tharp’s new Bob Dylan–scored dance musical, The Times They Are A-Changin’, will be Movin’ Out II: Back to Hibbing. Comparisons with her 2002 Billy Joel hit are out there, of course, and questions arose after the new show’s San Diego tryout: Namely, can dance tell the story when the characters also sing? But Tharp heavily remade Movin’ Out before its Broadway opening and will surely do the same here. Her ability to marry storytelling to sensual modern ballet will define the result—as will the Dylan canon, which sets the bar higher than Brenda and Eddie ever could.

—The Times They Are A-Changin’, Conceived and directed by Twyla Tharp; music and lyrics by Bob Dylan; Brooks Atkinson Theatre; opens October 26.

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• Table of Contents: Sep 11, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!