Girl From The North Country

See it if You want to see a truly original piece of theatre. Technically a jukebox musical but so unlike one. Gorgeous, relevant, desperate, intense.

Don't see it if If you can’t handle a mosaic of plot and themes swirling around you sometimes not making sense till later when you see the whole picture.

Also I absolutely LOVED this show. So glad I got to see it at The Public. I can’t imagine how it will play in a bigger Broadway house this spring.... Read more Read less

See it if Struggling characters in the Great Depression. Soft, slow rearrangements of Dylan songs. Good performances.

Don't see it if A play scene, a Dylan song, another play scene etc. Felt disjointed. I couldn’t get absorbed into either the play or the music.

See it if Foreigner's jukebox take on 20 Dylan hymns in Depression-era America. Large cast laments the times and troubles they have seen. Lyrical.

Don't see it if Depressing Dylan Depression. Appears that scissors were taken to a McPherson play and requiems were inserted here, stop, and here, and stop.

Also There must have been one happy bloke in America in 1931.

See it if You want to see a truly one of a kind show. It’s not a musical, it’s not exactly a play with music because the play +music can stand alone.

Don't see it if You can’t deal with plays that don’t follow all the rules in their structure. And not a play that allows you to just sit back and watch !

Also Very clever work that is made up of two very separate elements. The music and the acting are outstanding but it is the combination of the two plus absolutely perfect production values ie the set, the choreography, the lighting that pull you in and don’t let go for the entire length of the play !... Read more Read less

See it if you love Bob Dylan's music. Or if you want to see how McPherson uses the music artfully to comment on the characters' moods and thoughts.

Don't see it if you don't like bleak stories.

Also One of the finest ensemble of actors currently treading the boards. Each actor creates a vivid character and functions as a member of the ensemble. Conor McPherson's staging is absolutely stunning. Beautiful design work by Rae Smith, Mark Henderson, and Simon Baker. Lucy Hinds's movement adds to the beauty of the piece. Seeing "Girl from the North Country" reminded of the times I saw such unique musical theatre pieces like "Hamilton", "Fun Home", and "Southern Comfort" at the Public.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy brilliant staging & singing; you like Dylan & the enchanting way songs are used, even if not always explicit to the story. Mare W!

Don't see it if sorrowful story but you root & care for almost everyone on stage; you don't like stories with a heart; extremely talented cast/musicians.

Also Though this is a musical based on Dylan's songbook, this is the most "unjukeboxy" jukebox musical. So much heart, beautiful arrangements and singing, absorbing and intelligent. The actors and the music seem to be everywhere at once & you feel as though you are part of a family.
Winningham, an accomplished actress who always impresses is exceptional here. She is the soul of the play and she is perfect.
Broadway bound for certain.... Read more Read less

See it if you like Bob Dylan's music, great acting/singing/staging, and story that tackles social issues. Fortunately this is not a jukebox musical.

Don't see it if you're expecting an upbeat jukebox musical or revue. The songs are reinterpreted to fit a dramatic storyline.

Also I would expect this to be Broadway-bound. It is a great piece of theater and the songs were delivered with more of a soulful quality than expected.... Read more Read less

See it if You like off beat musicals with stellar musicians and vocalists giving a snap shot look at an interesting moment in time.

Don't see it if You don't like musicals or quirky stories that deal with flawed humans.

See it if You appreciate Bob Dylan and provocative creative theatre.

Don't see it if You want heartfelt story.

See it if A story of one family, one town, in Depression-era Minnesota. The music was amazing. The story was compelling.

Don't see it if The play was ultimately sad and depressing. Nothing uplifting to be seen here.

See it if you like the songs of Bob Dylan and want to experience them in a new, creative way.

Don't see it if you've seen enough sentimental, sad stories about down and out, salt of the earth people. Characters were a bit of a cliche.

See it if you are a Dylan fan, and a fan of depression era stories well told. Actors are terrific, voices wonderful, the real deal jukebox musical

Don't see it if if you are a Dylan purist, these songs are rescored for the text, but they never sounded this way before

See it if nontraditional musical with Dylan songs; story set in Minn. during Depression & involving many types of loss, loneliness; great characters

Don't see it if want a typical jukebox musical where songs act as the dialogue or where a contrived plot is based on the songs; want a happy story

Also The songs are frequently sung before an old-fashioned microphone with most of the ensemble acting as chorus. The songs set the mood of the story rather than tell it literally.
Frequently they are heartbreaking but sometimes exuberant.... Read more Read less

See it if SUPERB use of Dylan songs which feel organic to story & characters in compelling tale of Depression-era boarding house residents in Duluth.

Don't see it if you're not drawn by exceptional theater w/Eugene O'neill-type story/characters + GRAND HOTEL-type structure + Dylan's music. Pulls you in!

Also I predict this will move to Broadway.

See it if you are a fan of playwright Conor McPherson and/or just a fan of Bob Dylan because the combination will surprise you.

Don't see it if having Stephen Bogardus, Marc Kudisch, David Pittu, and Mare Winningham along with other cast members doesn't excite something inside you.

See it if You're a Dylan fan who likes serious drama.

Don't see it if You're in the mood for something light or if you don't care for complicated plays.

Also For me, each element was spectacular, but they didn't quite add up to a moving whole.

I loved the way the Dylan songs were reinterpreted. They sounded brand new. Mare Winningham did a stunning rendition of Like a Rolling Stone. But I enjoyed all the songs.

The performances were excellent, and the set design was lovely.

According to an article in the New York Times, playwright Conor McPherson was quoted that he purposely avoided choosing any Dylan songs that were too much "on the nose." So the songs used are more atmospheric in nature. They aren't there to express the singer's thoughts.

That's fine, but if that is the case, I think the writing should have been more explicit. In one case, for instance, an important detail was revealed almost as an aside. It half-registered in my brain, but I didn't have the time to ponder the relevance of what was said because the play kept barreling on.

Maybe I need to be hit over the head sometimes! But this play was subtle, maybe too subtle.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to enjoy a unique theatrical experience written and directed by Conor McPherson. Dylan's songs are beautifully used in the fabric

Don't see it if You prefer lighter, comedic plays. The story will not lift up your mood.However, you will be uplifted by the wonderful performances.

Also of the play. The story revolves around a Depression era boarding house and its' interesting characters. The large cast excels in the acting,singing, and playing of instruments.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to hear deep Dylan cuts beautifully arranged and sung. You want to see a Depression era play with some great acting and uneven plot

Don't see it if You like your musicals to have plot advanced by song or song motivated by plot. You're expecting a jukebox musical.

Also Ultimately, although the music is lovely, the lush Dylan covers are more or less disconnected from the plot. McPherson makes a noble effort to slot songs in unobtrusively and often succeeds, but building a play around an existing body of lyrics I think harmed the structure of the play, which was surprisingly rote from such a vibrant playwright. Winningham probably deserves the accolades, but I found her character a little annoying.... Read more Read less

See it if You love Dylan. You appreciate bold and creative attempts at melding drama and music. You want to be swept away by music and story...

Don't see it if You want a conventional musical.

Also Mare Winningham and Kimber Sprawl are stunning. Run, don't walk.

See it if Fabulous set piece of Dylan storytelling. What a cast! Mare! Has the feeling of an Altman film...delicious.

Don't see it if No reason. This NOT a jukebox musical.

See it if Heartache to heartache, Bob Dylan songs weaved in a house of lonely strangers each with their dark pasts and potentially grimmer futures.

Don't see it if Financial troubles, sexual assault, racism, mental/health issues, among other losses are too depressing for you. Gun/shots are triggering.

Also Ticket from online rush for $27.50. Seat was third from the last row, a quarter way in from the aisle.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a cross between Once, Spring Awakening, and the darkest episode of Prairie Home Companions News From lake Wobegon EVER.

Don't see it if You dislike Bob Dylan's lyrics. The orchestrations are lightyears away from Dylan's own but the lyrics are intact.

Also “Wait a minute Bill. I’m not a playwright.” -Bob Dylan

Girl From the North Country is a strange beast. Although strange is an asset when it comes to adapting Dyan's work.

Playwright Conor McPherson almost entirely eschews Dylan's more widely known works. Hurricane and Like a Rolling Stone are included but audience pleasers like Blowin in the Wind and I Shall Be Released are absent.

The piece takes great pains to set an atmosphere and never let the mist rescind. To that end there is deliberately no room left for applause breaks. I'm a little surprised, in fact, they opted to have an intermission which is the only time the spell is broken.

Unfortunately the book is a little wooden and it just seems, dramaturgically, a little scatter-shot. Like Dylan's own work, threads are woven and sometimes left incomplete in a vast network of trains of thought.

But what keeps the show afloat are Simon Hale's breathtaking orchestrations and the cast's collective vocal firepower.... Read more Read less

See it if Like a tone poem with a Dylan soundtrack that magnifies the sense of loneliness,loss and longing among inhabitants of depression era hotel

Don't see it if It’s not a jukebox musical- not really a musical- it defies categories in its originality so don’t go if you want Dylan’s greatest hits

Also It’s elegiac in its evocation of mood and feeling with the most extraordinary ensemble and new takes on Dylan poetry... Read more Read less

See it if you love great writing (McPerson and Dylan), superb cast, great singing and have a bit of the Irish in you (even if you aren't Irish)

Don't see it if you expect a happy ending musical or Broadway glitz

Also I think this is the first time I have really understood the complexity and beauty of Dylan's music so thoroughly. And it is a real combination of geniuses to put McPherson in charge of interpreting Dylan. What an experience for the heart, head, and soul.... Read more Read less

See it if You can forgive a rather ludicrous cliche ridden and wooden book in order to experience great music beautifully staged and sung.

Don't see it if You cannot forgive a bad book.