Girl from the North Country Archives

<strong>Girl from the North Country – Sheffield Lyceum</strong>

18Jan

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

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 s...

Girl from the North Country – Liverpool Empire

As the audience eagerly chatters in anticipation, a scene not unlike a film unfolds, drawing spectators along with it. A lone man walks on stage and begins to sing unexpectedly. The lights gradually dim, both on stage and in the auditorium, as others walk about their business and a set is lowered down. Everyone is cocooned. Everyone is both part of the community in Girl from the North Country and a fly-on-the-wall watcher - it is an experience as much as a performance. Set in 1934, Girl from the North Country transports viewers to a time-weathered guesthouse in Duluth, US and draws them into the lives of its inhabitants for a year. The narrative is creatively conveyed through Bob Dylan songs, making the show unique in its interpretation of a musician's repertoire. Director and write...

Girl from the North Country – The Lowry, Salford

The term 'jukebox' musical conjures up images of women of a certain age cavorting to Abba tracks in the Greek sunshine or the high pitched falsetto of Franki Valli in 1960's America. However, despite emanating from this rather dispiriting genre, 'Girl from the North Country' is a very different beast from 'Mamma Mia' and 'Jersey Boys', proving that this type of musical can have literary and artistic merit as well as providing first class entertainment. The first surprise is that it is based around the music and lyrics of Mr Robert Zimmerman, a.k.a Bob Dylan, the poster boy of the 1960's counter culture being the last person you would expect to see lending his name to such an ostensibly commercial enterprise. Curiosity is piqued even more when Conor McPherson is added to the mix as writ...