Envision yourself as a spouse, father, and businessman attempting to weather the Great Depression while carrying the heavy burden of financial hardships. Your home becomes a microcosm of life’s unpredictability as your wife battles dementia and your children confront their own issues. During one of the lowest points in your life, you face your own problems head-on, which means you’re up against temptations, frustrated, and trying to find any kind of hope at all. That’s what you can expect from the critically acclaimed musical “Girl From The North Country.” Well, at least from the point of view of Nick, the proprietor of a rundown guesthouse where the complex stories of all characters are interwoven. Within this context, the musical skillfully weaves Bob Dylan’s music into the plot, leading to an in-depth and emotionally charged exploration of love, loss, hope, and the human experience. See the musical this January and February and prepare to be moved by the moving tale of a community of people seeking comfort and camaraderie in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Girl From The North Country Tickets
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“Prepare to enjoy the way the music is deployed on stage, via an excellent four-piece band!” – The Guardian
Perhaps one of the most heartfelt musicals in recent memory, Girl From The North Country makes use of Bob Dylan’s original songs as if they are specially written for the production. The result is a masterfully crafted script that immerses the audience in a poignant and authentic exploration of the human experience. Bob Dylan’s timeless music, seamlessly integrated into the narrative, serves as a soul-stirring backdrop, amplifying each character’s emotional depth and the community’s collective struggles. As described by Variety, Dylan’s music “sets the mood, unhurried but restless, downbeat but uptight. There’s a reason they call it the Great Depression, and Dylan’s slow numbers reflect long, empty days.”
Throughout the show, the cast performs nineteen songs by Bob Dylan. Songs like “License to Kill,” “Slow Train,” “Forever Young,” “Girl from the North Country,” and “Like A Rolling Stone,” among many others, are performed in the musical — all backed by instruments from the 1930s. Using these songs for a musical is an achievement in itself for the legendary musician. After all, one of Bob Dylan’s lifelong goals was to have his music used in a musical. In fact, Dylan and his team were the ones who contacted the famous playwright Connor McPherson to come up with an idea for a musical that could employ his songs. McPherson is famous for his works in “The Weir,” “Shining City,” “The Seafarer,” and other musicals.
Although it was a challenging task, McPherson eventually took on the job after declining the opportunity several times. He initially had doubts about the musical’s wisdom at first, thinking no story would fit into Dylan’s cherished classic songs. But as he went on, a brilliant idea came to him. All of a sudden, Minnesota seemed like the ideal place to set a narrative. The Great Depression of 1934 then occurred to him as a historical event that could tie the plot together — and the rest, cliche as it may sound, is history. In 2017, the musical premiered in London at The Old Vic for three months. The production had its world premiere for three months at London’s The Old Vic. Its enormous success ensured its transfer to London’s West End before year’s end. The Noël Coward Theatre showcased the West End production, and in 2018, The Public Theater in New York City hosted an Off-Broadway show for its US counterpart. After nearly two years, The musical came to Broadway in 2020 at the Belasco Theatre. Its initial success on Broadway foreshadowed all the numerous awards and nominations it would garber in the years to come. It won two of the six Laurence Olivier Award nominations in 2018. Out of seven nominations, it took home the trophy for Best Orchestration at the 2022 Tony Awards. Additionally, it was nominated for “Best Musical Theater Album” at the 2020 Grammys.
“Remarkable fusion of text and music.” – The Guardian
Taking place in the Minnesota city of Duluth, which borders Lake Superior in the 1930s, Girl from the North Country has a simple yet powerful theme. The musical utilized this setting as Duluth was historically one of the cities devastatedly affected by the Great Depression. The city suffered heavy losses due to its ports, and many enterprises were shutting down their doors. The largest banks in the city also chose to merge so that they wouldn’t collapse entirely. Approximately one-third of the workforce was out of work by the mid-1930s. There were a lot of folks who chose to uproot and go elsewhere. The city’s economy and its inhabitants’ well-being were sustained through the utilization of assistance programs and the concentrated building of new structures.
It is in this depressing setting that the fictional guesthouse owned by the Laine family takes the spotlight in the musical. Located in the city, the guesthouse became the central hub where disparate lives intersected, each carrying their own burdens and dreams. Nick Laine, the owner of the guesthouse, grappled with the weight of financial strain and the responsibility of providing shelter for those in need. His wife, Elizabeth, is suffering from dementia. His son, Gene, is battling alcoholism while trying to achieve his dream of becoming a writer. His adopted daughter, Marianne, is pregnant and won’t divulge the identity of the father. Apart from his family, guests in the guesthouse also have their own struggles they try to overcome. Against the backdrop of economic turmoil, the guesthouse mirrored the struggles and resilience of the wider community. Eventually, the story delves inside each of them until their experiences intertwine, creating a stunning mosaic of perseverance.
Come to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center from January 30 to February 4 and witness this beloved musical. Tickets are now available, and you can get yours here by hitting the “Get Tickets” link. Get yours now and prepare to be awed and inspired by the “Girl from the North Country.” Witness the universal tale of resilience, community, and the enduring power of the human spirit. Get your tickets now!
“A loving homage with a neat turn of phrase and a tang in the air. Dylan’s songs becomes the soundtrack of the Great Depression, heartfelt and hopeful but mostly kicking their heels.” – Variety
