Girl from the North Country – Sheffield Lyceum

For Bob Dylan fans this production is a delight. Boldly written and directed by Conor McPherson this powerful production uses Dylan’s back catalogue ranging from 1965 to the present day. With songs such as ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and ‘Make You Feel My Love’ (recently covered my Adele) sitting alongside less obvious choices, Dylan’s music is used not to progress the storyline as in most musical theatre but to give the story an ambience, a mood, a feel. The lyrics are not used to tentatively tie the plot together but instead almost transcend it and have an almost supernatural feel to them. The cast do much to aid this by singing directly to the audience into a microphone, breaking down the 4th wall and giving the audience a real insight into the characters private and internal thoughts and struggles. The musical arrangements by Simon Hale allow for much harmony singing and the cast use this to embrace the audience with pure emotion and collective unity. I must add that this is not a ‘feel good musical’ but it is so thought provoking that our emotions become enlightening, and Dylan’s music enhances this. Different but it really works!

The set is open, with scattered authentic instruments scattered around the stage, tables and chairs are brought on and off the stage seamlessly when needed. Flats are flown in on a few occasions to change the location but are never obtrusive. The cast ARE the scene not the props and initially enter through the auditorium they at once engage us and invite us into the story. The lighting on stage is mirrored offstage, again adding the sense of unity. The cast, on entry, sing a cappella harmonies until the instruments join in to create a wall of glorious sound and their stories began… 

Set in 1934, before Dylan’s time I may add, Minnesota was in the midst of the American Great Depression. It was a time when colour and race mattered. Nick Laine (Colin Connor) runs a dilapidated guesthouse on the edge of Lake Superior. The guests are very much at one with the guesthouse and have themselves, seen better days and seem to find comfort sharing their lives with other tortured souls. Standing; as the building is; at a turning point in their lives, they realise nothing is what is seems, as they search for a future and run from their pasts, they find their present is one they must face head on in their own way. We meet Nick’s wife Elizabeth (Frances McNamee) – suffering from a mental illness, his son Gene (Gregor Milne) struggling with addiction. His adopted daughter Marianne (Justina Kehinde), pregnant and unmarried. Recently widowed Mrs. Neilson (Maria Omakinwa), whom Nick takes solace with only adding to his confusion. The Burke family (James Staddon and Rebecca Thornhill) who lost everything in the financial crash, and their mentally challenged son Elias (Ross Carswell) and his dark secret. Joe the boxer (Joshua C Jackson), the freshly released convict and the con man, Reverend Marlowe (Eli James). Our narrator, Dr Walker (Chris Mc Hallem)… all these characters and more are laid bare with honesty and depth. 

McPherson says that no matter what era ‘people are looking for love, security. We are all looking for a feeling of meaning in our lives’. This theme can be seen as the essence of Girl from the North Country – a powerful and poignant look at what we all universally crave – love, life, family and certainty in an uncertain world. Mc Pherson has proved himself to be an exceptional writer, as the audience are left feeling there is more to come with secrets to unravel and we are not disappointed as these are uncovered, they add ferocity to the production.

The Cast consist of extraordinary actor/musicians, and this gives flow to an otherwise episodic production which lacks the cohesion in plot, if not in theme. We follow each character’s trials and tribulations mirrored by the world they find themselves in. Every story is heart breaking and worthy of ‘the Great Depression’.  Whilst the whole cast were sublimely talented, I really must mention the performance of Frances McNamee as Elizabeth, her singing was soul wrenching and her rendition of Forever Young absolutely stunned me, it was amazing.  Then add to that the beautiful portrayal of mental illness with its non-stop, disjointed thoughts, her total lack of any verbal ‘filter’ and the level of detail and focus she maintained, and this performance was award winning quality. Absolutely stunning!

At the Sheffield Lyceum this week until Saturday 21st January, I cannot say more than do not miss this piercingly poignant and hauntingly beautiful production with its universally exceptional cast. Girl from the North Country it is bold and fresh, different and deliberate and will have a profound effect on you long after the curtain closes. Exceptional! https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/

Reviewer: Tracey Bell

Reviewed: 17th January 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★