SHARE:  

Join Our Email List

Girl from the North Country Breathes New Life
into Bob Dylan's Music on Jan. 2-7 at DPAC

The cast for the 2023-24 tour of Girl from the North Country at DPAC includes (from left) Ben Biggers as Gene Laine, Sharaé Moultrie as
Marianne Laine, Jennifer Blood as Elizabeth Laine, and John Schiappa as Nick Laine (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Bob Dylan's folksy, soulful lyrics have inspired listeners for decades. In fact, his songs make up the musical backdrop of not one, but two stage productions, Twyla Tharp's The Times They Are A-Changin' and, more recently, Girl from the North Country, onstage now at the Durham Performing Arts Center.

This latter musical features a somber but powerful book by Conor McPherson, Tony Award®-winning orchestrations from Simon Hale, and intense direction, also by McPherson. Set in 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota, Girl from the North Country takes an up-close-and-personal look at characters who have been thrust together, some by chance and some by choice, and explores the surprising ways in which their lives intersect, diverge, and change through their connections.

Girl from the North Country at DPAC stars Alan Ariano (center) as Dr. Walker (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

A local physician, Dr. Walker, endearingly portrayed by Alan Ariano, serves as the narrator for the events that unfold, piece by piece, as the well-developed characters are introduced. At the forefront is Nick Laine (John Schiappa), the long-suffering, financially struggling husband of Elizabeth (Jennifer Blood), who suffers from dementia, and father to young adults, Gene (Ben Biggers) and Marianne (Sharaé Moultrie), who are both struggling in their own ways. Gene longs to be a writer, but bristles with anger and angst, whereas Marianne is pregnant, unmarried, and unsure about what her future holds.

Sharaé Moultrie and Matt Manuel star as Marianne Laine and Joe Scott at DPAC (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

This bleak-but-believable picture of Great Depression-era family life is deftly painted with drab backdrops and mournful reimaginings of Bob Dylan's lyrics. However, the tone shifts when two strangers arrive on the scene. The Reverend Marlowe (Jeremy Webb), a Bible salesman, ushers in an air of danger, one rife with unsettling darkness, while Joe Scott (Matt Manuel), a wronged boxer who has faced the perils of racism, brings a surprising sense of hope and possibility.

Sharaé Moultrie stars as Marianne Laine in Girl from the North Country at DPAC (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

As these characters (and others) begin to interact, they present a study in opposites. Opposite outlooks and opposite choices lead to vastly different outcomes. However, their storylines never feel didactic or contrived. Instead, Conor McPherson's Steinbeck-style writing creates breathing characters who feel as real and desperate as the time in which they've found themselves. Their intertwining stories grip viewers at every turn and, when set to Bob Dylan's lyrics, create a beautiful, unflinching portrait of a very specific moment: a turning point, both in time and in these characters' lives.

Girl from the North Country at DPAC stars Jennifer Blood as Elizabeth Laine (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

While rich with affecting scenes, some segments strike particularly resonant chords. In particular, Sharaé Moultrie's low, silky delivery of "Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anyone Seen My Love)" stands out, both for its hard-hitting emotional impact and sheer beauty. Likewise, Jennifer Blood's troubled, eerie, and jumbled rendering of "Like a Rolling Stone," further enhanced by Lucy Hind's daring movement direction, adds a new layer of intensity to Dylan's masterful lyrics.

Jeremy Webb stars as the Reverend Marlowe in Girl from the North Country at DPAC (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Strong, multilayered, and authentically emotional performances abound throughout, enabling Conor McPherson's complex characterization and masterful integration of Bob Dylan's music to shine. The result is a production that, like its characters, is full of contrasts. It's beautiful and grotesque, sullen but hopeful, and familiar but innovative. Moving, mesmerizing, and completely unforgettable, this unique musical does exactly what theater should. It elevates, enlivens, and breathes brand-new life into another art form. And although viewers' perceptions of Dylan's music may be forever altered, they'll be all the better for it.

The national tour of Girl from the North Country, playing Jan. 2-7 at the Durham Performing Arts Center, stars (from left) Jennifer Blood
as Elizabeth Laine, Carla Woods as Mrs. Neilsen, Ashley D. Brooks, Kelly McCormick, Jill Van Velzer as Mrs. Burke, Chiara Trentalange
as Kate Draper, and Sharaé Moultrie as Marianne Laine (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3-7), written and directed by Conor McPherson, with music and lyrics by Bob Dylan; presented as part of Truist Broadway at DPAC; and starring Alan Ariano as Dr. Walker, David Benoit as Mr. Burke, Ben Biggers as Gene Laine, Jennifer Blood as Elizabeth Laine, Matt Manuel as Joe Scott, Sharaé Moultrie as Marianne Laine, Jay Russell as Mr. Perry, John Schiappa as Nick Laine, Chiara Trentalange as Kate Draper, Jill Van Velzer as Mrs. Burke, Jeremy Webb as the Reverend Marlowe, Aidan Wharton as Elias Burke, Carla Woods as Mrs. Neilsen, and Paul Blankenship as an Offstage Cover, plus Soloists and an Ensemble that includes Ashley D. Brooks, Justin Michael Duval, Kelly McCormick, and Hosea Mundi and Swings that include Rayla Garske, Warren Nolan Jr., Ali Regan, and Danny Vaccaro (Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham). TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4kV7G0BAVc. DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://issuu.com/dpac0/docs/dpac_gfnc_digital?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ. PRESENTER/VENUE: https://www.dpacnc.com/, https://www.facebook.com/DPACNC, https://www.instagram.com/DPACNC/, https://twitter.com/DPAC, and https://www.youtube.com/user/DPACLive. 2023-24 TRUIST BROADWAY AT DPAC SEASON: https://www.dpacnc.com/truist-broadway/season/truist-broadway-at-dpac-2023-2024. DIRECTIONS: https://www.dpacnc.com/plan-your-visit/directions. PARKING: https://www.dpacnc.com/plan-your-visit/parking. DPAC COVID-19 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: https://www.dpacnc.com/events/latest-updates-on-events-at-dpac/reopening-faq. THE TOUR: https://northcountryonbroadway.com/, https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/girl-from-the-north-country-537446, https://www.facebook.com/NorthCountryBroadway, https://www.instagram.com/northcountrybroadway/, https://twitter.com/NorthCountryBwy, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_from_the_North_Country_(musical)#North_American_Tour_(2023). CAST & CREATIVE TEAM: https://northcountrytour.com/castcreative. GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY (2017 London, 2017 West End, 2018 Off-Broadway, and 2020 Broadway Jukebox Musical): http://www.iobdb.com/Production/6549, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/girl-from-the-north-country-522971, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_from_the_North_Country_(musical), and https://www.youtube.com/@GirlFromTheNorthCountry. STUDY GUIDE (Old Vic): https://cdn.oldvictheatre.com/uploads/2017/09/Girl-from-the-North-Country-Teaching-Resources.pdf. CONOR McPHERSON (Irish playwright, screenwriter, and stage and film director): https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/conor-mcpherson-4900, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/3504, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0574217/bio/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conor_McPherson. BOB DYLAN (Duluth, MN-born singer-songwriter and 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, nee Robert Allen Zimmerman): https://www.bobdylan.com/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2016/dylan/facts/, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/bob-dylan, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/50525, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/bob-dylan-84040, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001168/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan. TICKETS: $24.50 and up, plus taxes and fees. Call 800-982-2787 or click here to buy tickets. GROUPS (10+ tickets): 919-680-2787, Groups@DPACnc.com, and https://www.dpacnc.com/events/groups-services. INFORMATION: 919-680-2787 or CustomerService@DPACnc.com. Deb Royals' Triangle Review Review Permalink. Susie Potter's Triangle Arts Review Review.

WHAT: Triangle Review is a FREE weekly e-mail performing-arts and film newsletter, edited and published by Robert W. McDowell since April 2001.

TO SUBSCRIBE: To start your FREE subscription today, sign up in the subscription box at the beginning of this e-mail; or e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line. TO UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail all questions, comments, and Letters to the Editor to RobertM748@aol.com. For Letters to the Editor, please include a daytime telephone number in your e-mail.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content in all formats © 2024 Triangle Review and the author of each article. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Triangle Review and the respective authors is prohibited. Triangle Review maintains an archive of past issues. To request copies of past articles and/or issues, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com.