Girl From The North Country - Broadway Previews — Page 2

Saw it in London- it is DREARY. Did not enjoy it at all.

Saw this pretentious mess, tonight, but I didn't hate it.

I spent 2/3 of the first act wondering what was the point of it all. It was then, that I accepted that it was a 'slice of life' show and I was okay with that.

My reactions were all over the place, ranging from confusion, to like, to love, to total boredom and back again. Much of this is boring in a way that The Band's Visit never was. The craft of The Band's Visit is what's missing here. Maybe writing and directing was too much for Conor McPherson, of whom I am a fan. It wasn’t dreary enough to convey what I think was intended but there is a dearth of humor to break the tedium.

The short scene-song-short scene structure might work in the hands of a strong director, but so often, it looks like the cast was told to just go onstage and do whatever.

As others have said, the London cast sounds much stronger. The current cast seems oddly detached from the material. Some are better than others, but I'm not sure what Mare Winningham was doing. She does have a nice voice, though.

I liked the music and the arrangements of the Bob Dylan songs. It was nice to actually understand some of the lyrics I have never understood when Bob Dylan sings his own songs.

There were a number of walkouts and I overheard a number of negative conversations at intermission. My companion hated every second of this and doesn't understand why I didn't.

I can’t say that this is a must-see, but if you can go on the cheap and are in the mood for something unusual, you might find something worthwhile in it.

Updated On: 2/9/20 at 12:56 AM

So how well has this been selling? Excited to see next weeks grosses, though I know they just began previews on Thursday and I'm sure a reasonable sum of tickets may have been comp'd/offered to people affiliated with the production. Wonder how long this will be around.

wolfwriter said: "Saw this pretentious mess, tonight, but I didn't hate it.

I spent 2/3 of the first act wondering what was the point of it all. It was then, that I accepted that it was a 'slice of life' show and I was okay with that.

My reactions were all over the place, ranging from confusion, to like, to love, to total boredom and back again.

SAME!!

Much of this is boring in a way that The Band's Visit never was. The craft of The Band's Visit is what's missing here. Maybe writing and directing was too much for Conor McPherson, of whom I am a fan. It wasn’t dreary enough to convey what I think was intended but there is a dearth of humor to break the tedium.

100% TRUE!! - this was not *DREARY ENOUGH* to convey the bleakness of the time or the authors depressing plot lines and the characters’ back stories. I never got a true sense of desperation that I feel needed to be felt throughout the show.

The short scene-song-short scene structure might work in the hands of a strong director, but so often, it looks like the cast was told to just go onstage and do whatever.

I can’t say that this is a must-see, but if you can go on the cheap and are in the mood for something unusual, you might find something worthwhile in it.

I REALLY wanted to *love* this, but will agree with much of what this poster says. I am much much more inclined to like smaller moodier pieces of musical theater, but TBV this is NOT. I would say it is closer to Once, another one of my favorites. What this show is missing however with the comparison to other more arty / non commercial pieces is star turn performance like Katrina Lenk or Steve Kazee respectively. With the exception of Mare Winningham, I thought the acting was very weak, but I’m not sure if that’s due more so with the direction choices or weak book. There are many plot points that are just thrown out there randomly with absolutely no resolution. The clear star of this show are Bob Dylan’s rich ravishing music.

I am also a millennial, and am not familiar with Bob Dylan’s song book, besides listening to the UK cast recording a few times before seeing the show. The magic in this show truly lies in the musical performances, and I will say each time the cast started to sing, I was transported to a beautiful place (overall).


My husband and I got lottery tickets (partial view orchestra), so if you enjoy shows like The Band’s Visit, Once, Fun Home, I feel like there are portions of this show (the music) that you will appreciate.

Lastly, the poster who commented on HADESTOWN wanting their encore back - I feel like this is a low key racist comment. Just because a person of color comes out and rips a song after the bows, does not mean it is a stolen moment or copy. The encore song of GFTNC is perhaps one of the strongest scenes of the entire show, and HADESTOWN wishes “We Raise Our Cups” could be as effective. Just saying!!!

And on that note, does anyone know what the name of the last song they sing??

Updated On: 2/9/20 at 08:57 AM

ShowBro said: "Lastly, the poster who commented on HADESTOWN wanting their encoreback - I feel like this is a low key racist comment. Just because a person of color comes out and rips a song after the bows,does not mean it is a stolen moment orcopy. The encoresongof GFTNC is perhaps one of the strongest scenes of the entire show, and HADESTOWN wishes “We Raise Our Cups” could be as effective. Just saying!!!"

What the actual ****? My comment on Hadestown wanting their encore back is based solely on narrative structure, and has nothing, I repeat, nothing, to do with race.

Both shows:
- end on an overall somber note, with a touch of optimism
- immediately following bows, the house lights do not turn on and the audience doesn't leave
- the ensemble stands still down stage center, singing directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall
- they dive into a final slow, nostalgic/melodic song that aims to end the evening on a happier/sweeter note
- the song ends, the performers walk offstage still in character, house lights up.

So, thank you for analysis, but the fact both are led by performers of color is sincerely the last aspect of the encores I would've ever considered. I didn't say the encore was bad or the cast of Hadestown is superior. Never would've imagined by comment could be misconstrued in such a way.

It's wild for me to hear the comparisons to "The Band's Visit". I remember watching the Tony Awards, and reading people's reviews here about the show, and said "this can't as good as they say". I caught the tour a few months ago, and was sucked into this world and music that I want to revisit over and over again. With "Girl from the North Country", I couldn't wait to get out. I get it. You're lives suck. The "radio show" vibe that is used a couple of times throughout the show I could see used to really pull it together, but every time a new character appeared one stage, I lost my mind, because I knew that in a few minutes, someone was going to sing a boring song, which I couldn't connect to the narrative.

It should also be noted that the Toronto production was a limited run of the "remount" or "limited run West End revival".

Wow... after hearing reactions from the West End I truly thought this would be a huge contender for awards this spring. I know we have to wait for critical notices, but this isn't looking good so far. I thought JLP might be a longshot to get a nomination, but perhaps its chances are much better now...? Moulin Rouge FTW?

I saw the first preview and I thought it was incredibly boring. The acting was pretty bad, and there were times the lighting was so dark, you could barely see the people onstage. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters. The only thing I liked about the show was the singing, so if you want to see Bob Dylan songs sung very well, this is the show for you. I personally loved the Band's Visit, and I don't see how people think they are similar.

Good grief. Is there anyone here who saw it and liked it at the Public, but didn't like this production?

I'm hoping the negatives are due to early preview issues that get ironed out before opening.