30 January – 4 February
Girl From The North Country is an uplifting and universal story about family and love which boldly re imagines the legendary songs of Bob Dylan, like you’ve never heard them before. It’s 1934 in the heartland of America and we meet a group of wayward souls who cross paths in a time-weathered guesthouse. Standing at a turning point in their lives, they realize nothing is what it seems. But as they search for a future, and hide from the past, they find themselves facing unspoken truths about the present.Writer and Director Conor McPherson said of the Dublin and UK Tour cast “It’s a joy to be working with our supremely talented new cast. Each of them brings a terrific range of experience and energy to the show. it’s an absolute delight to embark on this new adventure together.”
Bob Dylan said at the opening of the Broadway production: “To be associated with Conor is one of the highlights of my professional life. It goes without saying the man is a genius for putting this thing together and I’m thrilled to be a part of the experience. My songs couldn’t be in better hands.”
Girl From The North Country first opened at The Old Vic in July 2017 to huge critical acclaim and playing to sold out audiences. It transferred to the Noël Coward Theatre in December 2017 and won the 2018 Olivier Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical as well as being nominated in the Best New Musical, Outstanding Achievement in Music and Best Actor in a Musical categories. The production went on to have a sold out run at the Public Theater, New York in 2018. Following a run at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, in Autumn 2019, the production had a second run in the West End opening December 2019 at the Gielgud Theatre. The Broadway production is currently playing at the Belasco Theatre, the Australian and New Zealand production opened in Sydney in January 2022 and a North American tour of the show will commence in Minneapolis in Autumn 2023.
Girl From The North Country features scenic and costume design by Rae Smith; orchestrations, arrangements, and music supervision by Simon Hale, with additional arrangements by Simon Hale and Conor McPherson, lighting design by Mark Henderson; sound design by Simon Baker;movement direction by Lucy Hind and casting by Jessica Ronane CDG.
Girl From The North Country is produced by Tristan Baker & Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Steven Lappin, Sony Music Entertainment UK, Playing Field, David Mirvish, Dianne Roberts and The Old Vic.
Conor McPherson is an acclaimed writer and director. He was born in Dublin in 1971 and attended University College Dublin where he began to write and direct. Stage plays include Rum & Vodka, The Good Thief, This Lime Tree Bower, St Nicholas, The Weir(Olivier, Evening Standard, and Critics Circle Awards); Dublin Carol, Port Authority, Shining City(Tony Award nominated); The Seafarer(Tony, Olivier and Evening Standard Award nominated); The Veil, and The Night Alive(New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, Olivier, Evening Standard and Lucille Lortel Award nominated). Adaptations include Franz Xaver Kroetz’s The Nest, August Strindberg’s The Dance of Death and most recently, Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.
Bob Dylan is one of our culture’s most influential and ground-breaking artists. Born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1941; self-taught on piano, guitar and harmonica, he travelled to New York City in 1961, quickly establishing himself as an explosive performer in the Greenwich Village music scene. More than half a century later, Dylan continues to perform almost 100 concerts each year. He has released more than 50 albums and written over 600 songs. He’s sold more than 125 million records and is the holder of 11 Grammy Awards. His songs have been covered more than 6000 times by artists as diverse as Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, Guns N’ Roses, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley and Adele. He is also an accomplished visual artist and author, and in 2016 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature – the first songwriter to receive such a distinction.
The full cast includes Keisha Amponsa Banson (Mrs Neilsen),Ross Carswell (Elias Burke),Colin Connor (Nick Laine),Frankie Hart (Ensemble), Joshua C Jackson(Joe Scott),Eli James (Reverend Marlowe),Justina Kehinde (Marianne),Teddy Kempner (Mr Perry),Graham Kent (Ensemble),Owen Lloyd (Ensemble),Nichola MacEvilly (Ensemble), Chris McHallem (Dr Walker),Frances McNamee (Elizabeth Laine),Gregor Milne (Gene Laine),Eve Norris (Katherine Draper),Daniel Reid-Walters (Ensemble), James Staddon (Mr Burke),Neil Stewart (Ensemble) and Rebecca Thornhill (Mrs Burke).
The Broadway production of Girl From The North Country, currently playing at the Belasco Theatre, has received seven Tony Award nominations including, Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical – Conor McPherson, Best Orchestrations –Simon Hale, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – Mare Winningham, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical – Jeannette Bayardelle and Best Sound Design of a Musical. The production was also nominated in the Best Musical Theatre Album category at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
Photo credit: Johan Persson
