★★★★☆

I didn’t know much about this going into it, other than it is set in depression era America and it uses the music of Bob Dylan. So I wasn’t really sure what to expect when we booked this on a last minute deal.

Set in 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota (hometown of Dylan) we find ourselves at a rundown guest house where we are introduced to Nick (Colin Connor) and his wife, Elizabeth (Frances McNamee). We gradually meet their two children – Gene (Gregor Milne) and Marianne (Justina Kehinde) – and some of those staying at the guest house, including the Burke family, and two strangers who arrive in the middle of a storm at night.

The first thing to say about this is that it is not your traditional jukebox musical. In fact, I wouldn’t necessarily say it was your traditional musical. I’d describe it more as a play with music. It has a real feel of ‘Of Mice and Men’ – hardly surprising given the setting (albeit the classic Steinbeck novel is rural, and this is urban). The lighting design (Mark Henderson) along with the costume and set designs (both by Rae Smith) are incredibly effective at evoking the rust and industrial setting of what was a town built on mining, steel, and cargo shipping during the early 20th century.

We open with a narrator (Dr Walker, played by Chris McHallem) who stands to one side with a 1930s style radio mic and introduces us to the Laine family. This nicely sets the tone for the show with many of the songs being sung around similar microphones. It enables the songs to blend with the action, as if they were playing on a radio that permeates the family’s daily life in the guesthouse.

As the story moves on through to Christmas of 1934 we experience joy, laughter, love, and tragedy, all underscored by Bob Dylan’s music. It is never in a ‘lets do a song and dance’ way – hence the credit of ‘movement director’ for Lucy Hind rather than ‘choreographer’. Instead the music blends to take us on an emotional journey in a far more understated way.

The cast is fantastic and I couldn’t find a weak link. Special mention must go to Frances McNamee as the mother of the family, who is suffering from dementia. Her performance is raw and honest – with no sense of performing for an audience. Her rendition of ‘Like a rolling stone’ was incredibly moving and powerful.

I was also really impressed with Rebecca Thornhill as Mrs Burke, who lives at the guesthouse with her husband and son and experiences devastating tragedy towards the end of the show.

The ensemble are perfect. The move seamlessly between the action and the background with their performance often underscoring the main action. The only issue I had was the background dialogue during the scene at the beginning of act two where I found it distracting and hard to hear the main action. However, I concede that this may simply down to my sensory processing problems.

As I said, this is NOT your traditional jukebox musical – nor musical. Dylan’s storytelling focused music fit perfectly, adding emotion and pathos to the events. Catch this one if you can.

A Girl From the North County is touring the UK until March 2023. Dates can be seen here – https://girlfromthenorthcountryshow.com

Photos © Johan Persson