Girl From The North Country NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsShow-Score Member Reviews (291)
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 Read more
See it if you have an open mind and want to see genius staging, acting, singing and story line. The characters are extremely well developed
Don't see it if you are expecting a jukebox musical. The score sets more of a mood than integrates with the istory.
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. Read more
See it if You want to hear Dylan music but not hear Dylan's voice. Cast is totally terrific and story is compelling.
Don't see it if a NOT happy-go-lucky story is not your thing.
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 Read more
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. Read more
See it if Stunning production with a huge cast with amazing voices. Dylan songs never sounded so poetic. An intimate show that transforms and inspires
Don't see it if You want an action show. This is all about the nuances of a small place and human interaction. You are open to new versions of Dylan songs.
See it if you want to see a plot-filled piece with well-sung unusual arrangements of Dylan songs -- and an amazing performance by Mare Winningham.
Don't see it if you're looking for a straight-ahead things-are-so-clear musical or want to hear only Dylan's hits. Read more
Critic Reviews (37)
"The marvelous aural effect created on the stage by writer-director Conor McPherson and 16 other cast members is of hardship and disappointment ennobled by the healing power of song...The voices of the playwright and songwriter coalesce harmoniously; they seem to be in conversation with each other...'North Country' is a breakthrough for the songbook form...If this wrenching gaggle of souls doesn’t migrate next to a home uptown, then it will be Broadway that is the poorer."
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"The challenge of collaborating with this monumental body of work trips up the much-acclaimed McPherson. His words — blustery, profane, biting — never find a way to mesh with the evocative, easy poetry of the troubadour himself...The cast and on-stage band put over the songs well in their new arrangements. But even as you’re tapping your toes, you may well be shaking your head: Why this upbeat rendition of 'The Hurricane' just after tragedy hits?"
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"Bleak, enigmatic and haunting piece...In lesser hands, the show may have felt static or unduly depressing. But under McPherson’s focused direction, and with shaded performances from the cast, it proves to be unusually transfixing. Whether you call it a musical, a drama, or something else entirely, 'Girl from the North Country' makes for remarkable theater."
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"It's an unusual work in a stirring production that's bound to get under your skin...The work requires an emotional investment that's not easy at first. But thanks to Dylan's searing poetry, featured in some 20 songs, McPherson's brutally honest portraits and a talent pool that's miles deep, the humanity shines through warts and all...Every member of this large ensemble, including onstage musicians, is sublime."
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"An extraordinary musical, unlike any currently playing in New York...Hunger rumbles off the stage in McPherson's urgently staged production, with earthy, emotionally raw performances from the entire cast...By incorporating its big, contemplative set pieces into a difficult, complicated story of American life, 'Girl From the North Country' draws on the deeper traditions of opera and American folk music to create something that feels avant-garde by the current standards of Broadway."
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“McPherson’s lovely, introspective drama that incorporates selections from the extraordinary songbook of...Bob Dylan...Performed quite beautifully by the wondrous ensemble...McPherson doesn't present a plot as much as a collage of encounters reflecting the kind of working class struggles Dylan wrote about. The songs don't come out of the dialogue but play more like unspoken spiritual cries...A thoughtful and compelling collaboration between two master storytellers.”
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"The potential for drama is everywhere....But the focus keeps shifting to the Dylan numbers...As arranged by Hale and performed by the gifted cast, the songs often land more strongly than the book scenes...The songs connect to the action in only the most general sense...It is, I suppose, possible to enjoy as a series of vignettes caught on the fly and thrown up against the Dylan numbers, but the satisfactions of drama are largely missing from this singular entertainment."
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“Bleak and stunning...What truly makes 'Girl from the North Country' take wing is the marriage of storytelling and music...There are a few holes in the story-telling, some strands that are left hanging, and what seems to be a misplaced upbeat coda intended to cut through the gloom. But between the performances, McPherson's direction, and the extraordinary music, ‘Girl from...’ is an undeniably magnificent theatrical work that reminds us why Dylan recently won the Nobel Prize."
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