Never make assumptions about a show you don’t know…another jukebox musical hits the UK regions as the music of Bob Dylan (whose music I have very limited knowledge of) lays the soundtrack to a loosely written script. Or so I thought…
Girl from the North Country is a slice of American life, set in a guest house in Dylan’s birthplace of Duluth during the Depression of the 1930s. The setting allows a range of characters to come, go and stay as owner Nick struggles to keep the business afloat, whilst caring for his dementia-diagnosed wife, Elizabeth; his drunken son Gene; and his adopted (and pregnant) single black daughter, Marianne. You get the feeling early on that this is not going to end well.
Despite the darkness of the Tennessee Williams-esque narrative, this felt like a warm hug on an autumnal evening. The staging is dark and atmospheric, the music and harmonies beautifully arranged, the vocals faultless, and the performances emotionally intense. The Dylan tracks used are not the obvious choices. Representing his album back catalogue from The Freewheelin’ (1963) through to Tempest (2012), author Conor McPherson and orchestrator Simon Hale were given free rein to use any track in any way they wanted. What results is not just a character’s excuse for a song, but a seamless soundtrack played out whilst the action takes place.
One moment it felt like watching a play with background music (from the integral on-stage band The Howlin’ Winds), the next like watching a recording of the studio album with the action in the distance. There may have been four understudies tonight, but every performance impressed in this strong ensemble piece. Particular mention for Frances McNamee (Elizabeth) with her stunning vocals and impressively held notes.
These are bleak times and the characters struggle to survive; as the stage fades to darkness there is a sense of numbness and loss. As an audience we were unsure whether to applaud or sit in silence and reflect on what has passed. And then, just as you feel it’s time to applaud, the cast hit us with a stunning vocal finale. The surprisingly large cast hit every note of harmony and emotion in this not to be forgotten theatrical triumph.
Garry Thomas-Lowde for CanalSt Media
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