Girl From The North Country

Saw the tour this evening in a very empty theatre (woking).

I didn’t see any of the productions when it was in town so this was my first exposure.
I’ve had to reread this thread to see what people thought.

I thought the singing was great (very talented cast), but I found myself so overwhelmingly perplexed by the story that I couldn’t really concentrate. Great plot lines pushed then dropped immediately. I also didn’t feel the songs linked well enough to the plot - I can understand it not being a musical so it’s not necessarily their inner thoughts but it felt like ‘well now let’s go to a song’.

The sound balance was also off, the bar scenes were hard to follow as the background noise was very loud. I also found the direction to be odd, few characters on stage then a song starts and everyone walks on stage to get involved.

Maybe this was at its best at the Old Vic. But it’s fascinating how divided the reactions to this have been. I’d actually have preferred if it was a straight play and you could sink your teeth into the characters more. But ultimately the music is the thing keeping this afloat.
Would not revisit this.

Saw it in Edinburgh not too long ago and trying to recall a single thing that happened in this show. The songs were alright... I guess.

I had the same issues with not being able to engage at all with this story. Shared the exact same experience with Marcus' post above. The audio was also really low which is a complaint I often have with the Edinburgh Playhouse.

Saw the first night in Wimbledon tonight and was pretty underwhelmed. The sound seemed really quiet where I was in the Dress Circle so couldn't really connect with it - they were all just there.

Some of the acting was also a bit iffy.

The songs seemed OK, but I didn't really get how they fit in to the story and the fact they were quite quiet meant I didn't really appreciate them.

A lot of empty seats tonight and the upper circle was closed. I'm glad I got this ticket on an opening night ATG Card offer

This cinema screening gave me a lot to think about tonight - merits of the piece and what it adds up to.

For now, these lyrics hang in the air. Whether it's true or not Trump only ran for president to avoid jail, it still applies:

"They say that patriotism is the last refuge
To which a scoundrel clings
Steal a little and they throw you in jail
Steal a lot and they make you king"

'Sweatheart Like You'
Bob Dylan

Filmed screening:

What a difference from a rear stalls seat in the West End, a ridiculously dimly lit show, and the circle overhang adding to sleep inducing gloom

The Broadway cast, and close-ups you can only get on film, transformed this for me. It’s excellent dialogue writing, perfectly acted - and cast; the generational differences much clearer which really helps the story.

With facial expressions in extreme close-up the relationship with song is clearer too: characters all stuck in their private purgatory, reaching for the nearest cheap/great popular song to express a little of what they feel, but can’t or mustn’t find the words for; so it makes complete sense that the specifics of some lyrics aren’t their own circumstance.

An excellent cast across the board.

Caveats: Irish writing’s my thing, but across Friel, McDonagh, McPherson I flinch at disability/mental health difficulties/neurodiversity used too often for metaphor or weightiness; or any 'magical' association.

I don’t usually complain about things being ‘too depressing’ - if they stir you up or bring empathy for a situation you didn’t know about, why not? But this relentless misery…? I’m convinced it's excellent; I still wonder if it's pointless - with wonderful music.

Then I’m sure I’m right there front and center lol.

Saw the transmission this afternoon and totally agree - it was excellent, not a weak link in the entire cast, and musically superb. I saw the original at the Old Vic, and really appreciated being able to see the Broadway version.