Dylan classics lead the way in Depression-era musical

WHEN legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was approached by Irish playwright Conor McPherson about using his hit songs in a new musical, Dylan promptly offered his entire catalogue of 40 albums to choose from, so impressed was he with the planned show.

That was in 2013 and in 2017 the resultant production, Girl from the North Country, opened in London and New York featuring 22 Dylan songs ranging from folk and ballad to gospel and rock, that blend perfectly between scenes in the storyline set in Duluth, a town in the American state of Minnesota where Dylan was born in 1941 – a decade later than when Girl from the North Country is set during the Great Depression.

Among the popular audience numbers were Like a Rolling Stone, All Along the Watchtower, Forever Young, I Want You, Slow Train and Hurricane.

All the action takes place in a ramshackle boarding house run by Nick Laine (Peter Kowitz) who desperately tries to keep the business afloat in tough economic times, which takes a growing toll on his aging body.

Lisa McCune plays his wife Elizabeth, who suffers from dementia and is prone to making outbursts, many of which are witty and at times irreverent. And as the star of the show McCune sings hits such as Like a Rolling Stone.

Nick and Elizabeth’s adopted daughter Marianne (played by Chemon Theys) finds romance with powerful boxer Joe Scott (Elijah Williams), who harbours a secret history.

With the passing parade of people coming through the boarding house, the mood darkens as they reveal flawed characters and heartbreaking stories. This ramps up in the second act.

There’s also drama surrounding the Burke family where Greg Stone plays Mr Burke, Helen Dallimore plays Mrs Burke and Blake Erickson is their disabled son, Elias. Under crippling financial pressures Mr Burke reveals a shocking secret.

Dallimore, who won a Helpmann Award for Best Supporting Actress in Legally Blonde, displays her talent for playing the drums as she teams up with the four-member on-stage band.

Girl from the North Country had its Melbourne premiere at the Comedy Theatre on May 4. When I saw the musical on May 5, several cast members had been struck down by illness, but you would not have known that understudies were performing, such was the high standard of the show.

Producers cancelled seven performances from May 6–11 due to continuing illness among cast members, with those shows rescheduled for June.

After the Melbourne season, Girl from the North Country tours to New Zealand in late June before returning to Australia for seasons in Canberra and Brisbane.

Bookings: northcountry.com.au