Derided Dylan musical is to close

Critics said the show failed to capture the magic of the songs

A musical based on the songs of Bob Dylan is to close less than a month after it opened on Broadway.

The Times They Are A-Changin, the story of a young man working in a struggling circus, was savaged by US critics.

Dylan approached choreographer Twyla Tharp three years ago after she turned Billy Joel's songs into Tony-award winning musical Movin' Out.

The final show will be on 19 November. New York columnist Michael Musto called the closing a "mercy killing".

'Jukebox musicals'

He added: "Dylan and Tharp didn't cohabit well in a circus setting, especially with a nearly incomprehensible storyline.

"But both are artists and will survive long after this becomes a camp footnote."

In his review, New York Times critic Ben Brantley called the Bob Dylan show "the latest heart-rending episode in Broadway's own reality soap opera: 'When bad shows happen to great songwriters'."

While some so-called 'jukebox musicals', like Mamma Mia and We Will Rock You, have been big hits, Broadway has witnessed a number of high-profile flops.

Lennon, based on songs by the Beatles, and Good Vibrations, featuring songs by the Beach Boys, both closed early folllowing poor reviews .