Girl From The North Country

See it if Don't . The dialog was so banal and ridiculous I almost laughed.

Don't see it if Don't

Also I was shocked how bad this show was. I am a big Dylan fan and was excited by this show. What a disappointment ! Granted, it is in previews but I don't see it getting any better. Only two of the actors seemed to know their lines (out of a large cast) but give the lines they were given, you can't blame them. I haven't heard such banal cliched dialog in a long time. I went with 2 friends and we were all in agreement that it was terrible. sorry :/... Read more Read less

See it if You like Bob Dylan's songs in different settings surrounding a strong story-line. Not a juke box musical but meaningful.

Don't see it if You like tinsel musicals with simple songs and dance routines and banal stories. This is not for you.

Also Another superb production from the Public with a very talented cast, a moving story with real characters and the careful and apposite placement of the Bob Dylan songbook. Great singing and great ensemble work.... Read more Read less

See it if you’re such a fan of Bob Dylan that a play using his music would be enjoyable to you no matter how well-integrated or relevant the music is.

Don't see it if you want to be emotionally moved by the theater you see or if you’re expecting the music to give you insights into the characters.

Also I sat through the whole production trying to figure out why someone decided to stage this. The music was well performed, but there’s no coherence between the plot and the music. I’d have much preferred either a straight play (but, er, not this one) or else a Dylan tribute concert.... Read more Read less

See it if excellent adaptation of Bob Dylan music, with an excellent ensemble cast, making Dylan's poetry more accessible & a compelling story

Don't see it if Dylan's music is not your thing, if the 50's in too dated as a context, or you expect a more fulsome plot about race/Klan activities in OK.

See it if It you want to see a beautiful show, with amazing singing

Don't see it if If you are looking for a comedy

Also I saw this show on the West end and had to see it again. It is beautiful. I didn’t know much bob Dylan before this show, but it doesn’t matter. The songs are arranged with a blue grass feel that is almost haunting. The setting of a boarding house during the depression let’s the story follow different characters so you get different glimpses into everyone’s life. It is an amazing show go see it and then get the cast recording because the songs are that good.... Read more Read less

See it if love Dylan and great singing

Don't see it if Was disappointed although enjoyed it The story and songs did not always meah

See it if you like Dylan's music and if you appreciate large musicals

Don't see it if you become depressed by the depression

Also While we appreciate that this will be a big success both at the Public and on Broadway, we really don't like Dylan's music and find the depression depressing. We left at half time.... Read more Read less

See it if You're a Bob Dylan fan and want to hear his wonderful songs beautifully sung.

Don't see it if You prefer plots that are fresh, moving, and satisfying. You want something upbeat.

Also The songs and singing are great and the performances are quite good, but, in my opinion, the play is not. It felt cobbled together, with too familiar tropes from Of Mice and Men, Our Town, and other works, and the resolution was not satisfying. I read several reviews in which people said they were quite moved by the characters and their situation. Unfortunately, I felt distanced from them. I think the author was trying to avoid outright melodrama, but with so many characters and their stories, he didn't go deep enough to provide rich, fulfilling drama and character development. I kept thinking about what August Wilson might've done (yes, I know, different characters and subject matter, but related) and wishing I was watching that.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy Bob Dylan's music and like Wilder-esque storytelling - there's something slightly off, though still a great production

Don't see it if you want to see something uplifting, or that contains more clarity in its storytelling

See it if You like the music of Bob Dylan and the serio-comic writing (more serio) of Conor McPherson.

Don't see it if You like your musicals or more so, plays with music light and fluffy.

See it if If you like Bob Dylan’s music you will like this. Well staged,terrific cast, I thought the show was to depressing but that’s the music

Don't see it if We left at intermission, it’s a depressing subject,and I don’t really like Dylan’s music.

See it if you like shows where every element is attended to with care and the result is absorbing.Also a must for Bob Dylan fans

Don't see it if you dont like Bob Dylan

See it if A haunting mix of beautiful voices singing dylan sounds that capture the sadness of the characters in a boarding house in minnesota

Don't see it if If you dont like dylan songs or a hybrid of sad characters singing and acting their lives in a boarding house during the depression

See it if you like Irish plays about Americana featuring gorgeous arrangements of familiar songs, sung by a fresh faced cast.

Don't see it if you prefer your jukebox musicals to be biographies featuring safe soundalike reproductions of classic songs w/ meaningless filler in between

Also I'm a big fan of Conor McPherson & a casual Bob Dylan fan. Was cautiously optimistic for this show. This is not a Bob Dylan jukebox musical, and thank god for that. It's a dramatic play (echoes of Brecht & Wilder) that happens to feature classic Dylan songs. These songs are beautifully arranged, often sounding nothing like you remember them. The play around it is ok. Was a bit disappointed. There's such a large cast (overall fine) & so many subplots that I felt like I never got to know all its characters well enough to care about them. I actually wished the play were longer, which is a complaint I rarely have. It could use some fleshing out. I appreciate the story but it goes by in a flash. But the songs are often transcendent. I don't think they would work sung in this style in another play, and i don't think this play would totally work without these songs. It's a mixed bag but I'm ultimately glad I saw it. I just wish it all felt a bit more complete.... Read more Read less

See it if You love heart-stopping Theatre with a capital T. A whole world comes alive.

Don't see it if You’re not a Dylan fan.

Also Most of the music used in the show was totally unfamiliar to me, and made me realize how little I knew of the Dylan oeuvre post – 1960s. The show was so well done that I even forgave his born-again phase.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to experience a beautifully written, produced, acted and sung snapshot of life during the Depression.

Don't see it if You want to see something light.

Also Wow this was an exquisite production. Dylan’s music provides a backdrop yet takes center stage. The story is sad yet produced with much poignancy. The song choices are wonderful; performances are so moving. I feel very lucky to have seen this. Bravo to all involved.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Bob Dylan's music, and are interested in seeing a new Depression-era Connor McPherson play infused with new Dylan arrangements.

Don't see it if you're not a Dylan fan, or are expecting a great plot-driven play where the songs advance the plot or have something to do with the story.

Also I was expecting it to be much better because of the critical acclaim in the UK. It's basically a so-so play infused with beautifully arranged & sung Bob Dylan songs that have almost nothing to do with what's happening in the story. It's like they fought against being a Jukebox musical so hard that it went too far in the opposite direction and doesn't know what it wants to be. I would have preferred a concert or album.

Sydney James Harcourt was the highlight for me. (And Luba Mason playing the drums was dope.)

The story was bleak, tonally inconsistent at times, and the continuity and relationships were often confusing. I wasn't able to become invested or moved.

Connor McPherson was quoted in the NYTimes saying, “We found that the more the songs had nothing to do with what was happening, the better it fit.”
I did not find this.

So don't go in expecting a riveting story, but if you're a Dylan fan then it might be worth it for the lush & lovely arrangements/performances of the songs.... Read more Read less

See it if you like depression era stories where everyones lives are so awful that you feel suicidal during the show.

Don't see it if you prefer a story with a modicum of happiness.

See it if You enjoy a more intimate musical production with a stellar ensemble cast.

Don't see it if You’re expecting a juke box musical.

Also A unique production with beautiful music. You don’t need to be a Bob Dylan fan to enjoy it.... Read more Read less

See it if The real hero here are the songs and singing. They are beautiful and well performed. However, the story is weak and the dialogue

Don't see it if uninteresting. Why isn't this presented in a concert form? Those talent could sing more songs.

See it if You love jazzy music, treat it as a concert rather than a play. BEAUTIFUL singing.

Don't see it if You want an interesting story= not much of one. The songs are all from Bob Dylan, but almost unrecognizable in their arrangement.

See it if You want to see what jukebox musicals are capable of and can dare to be. Great ones, like this show, can make you re-think well-known songs.

Don't see it if Your definition of a musical includes chorus kick lines, hilarious hijinks and lots of playing out front. This show is subtle and spare.

Also I'm not a Dylan fan. Not a hater either, but I'm a bit too young to have been heavily influenced by him in my youth, and I don't much care for the sound of his voice. But those lyrics! Twyla Tharp made a travesty of his songs on Broadway years ago, and Conor McPherson has righted that horrible wrong. I love many of McPherson's plays, with their depictions of how spirits of the dead and soon-to-be gone infiltrate our daily existences. That notion carries through this show in every way, and beautifully so. Saw this show at the Old Vic last summer and was blown away. The only reason I decided to see it at the Public was to see the show in a more intimate space, and to see how McPherson would tackle this material again, having gotten to learn much from the first experience. The result is wonderful. The two acts now feel far more like one of a whole, and the transitions feel more organic. This cast is as wonderful as the UK cast, with special props to the ever-brilliant Mare Winningham.... Read more Read less

See it if I am a fan of Conor McPherson and he didn't disappoint. Incorporated Bob Dylan songs in a meaningful way without it becoming a jukebox show

Don't see it if You don't like Eugene O'Neill because it was that kind of dark subject matter but not as long as his plays.

See it if You like slow drama, coupled with folk music that has little to do with plot.

Don't see it if You don't like being mislead into musicals that are actually plays with music. Or if you want to hear your favorite bob dylan music.

See it if The poetry of Bob Dylan's music is appealing to you: How his work is brought to life through this story is once-in-a-lifetime.

Don't see it if you're put off by "play with music"-type shows that weigh story and song in equal measure. But, in all honesty, go see this.