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Girl From The North Country reviews are in
The musical, with songs and lyrics by Bob Dylan, is now open in London's West End.
Written and directed by Conor McPherson and with music and lyrics by Bob Dylan, Girl From The North Country has opened at London’s Noel Coward Theatre to high praise.
Set in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1934, award-winning playwright McPherson beautifully weaves the iconic musical songbook of Bob Dylan into his story.
The show depicts a community living on a knife-edge as they huddle together in the local guesthouse. There, owner Nick – who owes more money than he can ever repay – struggles with his wife Elizabeth, who is slowly losing her mind, and their daughter, Marianne, who is carrying a child no one will account for.
When a preacher selling bibles and a boxer looking for a comeback show up in the middle of the night, things start to spiral beyond the point of no return…
Having already welcomed rave reviews during its time at The Old Vic, the musical is being celebrated for its West End debut.
In their five star review, The Times claim the show “transports the soul”, going on to say “Dylan fans will find it fascinating and ingenious, nothing like the standard jukebox musical”.
“McPherson has come up with something bewitchingly original,” Dominic Maxwell goes on to say. “It’s pure stage magic.”
In an equally positive five star review, Daily Telegraph says: “Not very often, a piece of theatre comes along that radiates an ineffable magic. Conor McPherson’s musical play, is one such show. The rare alchemy with which McPherson fuses a dustbowl”, concluding that Girl From The North Country is “very special”.
“Every now and then you see a show that reminds you why you love theatre,” beam Broadwayworld.com. “You sit there mesmerised by the spectacle, getting goosebumps at every word spoken. Girl from the North Country is that show.”
Whatsonstage.com agree, declaring the cast “uniformly brilliant”. “Dylan’s songs from across his remarkable career punctuate the piece with a poetic poignancy.”
Mark Shenton at Londontheatre names the musical a “bona fide gem”, and The Stage adding that “the atmospheric staging, the narrative power of the music and the skill of the performances combine to create something magical”.
Catch Girl From The North Country now at London’s Noel Coward Theatre. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.co.uk.
