“Ravishing”, reads the banner in the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. I couldn’t agree more. What a stunning show.
I knew little to nothing about this show and I wasn’t all that excited about the show when I first heard about it. I know a handful of Bob Dylan songs and I hadn’t heard anything about Girl From the North Country that grabbed my attention. Then, last year this video dropped on YouTube and it’s one of my favourite videos on the platform. I watch and listen to it often and am moved every single time. The same song from the Original London Cast Album does nothing for me. I expected a similar version to that London one in this Toronto production. I was very pleasantly surprised when the rendition was much more similar to this Public Theater version.
Just seeing I Want You performed live is enough of a reason to see this show. I wish I could have rewound the live performance to experience it again and again like I can with this YouTube version.
Everything about this show is gorgeous – the cast, the songs, the set, the lighting, the choreography – including the use of performers as part of the visuals, silhouetted against the backdrop.
Girl From the North Country is more of a play with music than a musical. The songs aren’t there to advance the plot, but are beautifully woven into the fabric of the narrative. This isn’t a jukebox musical where a story is built around an artist’s greatest hits. It’s a play where the perfect song is interlaced with the story at the perfect time. Dylan’s discography is vast and Conor McPherson shows his impeccable intution, plucking the ideal song at the precise moment it’s needed. It was incredible to experience these interpretations of Dylan’s art. As I said, I’m by no means a deep Bob Dylan fan and have but a surface knowledge of some of his more known songs. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed this afternoon at the theatre.
Do yourself a favour and catch this one while you can. It runs until November 24 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. Check out the rush ticket deals, too!
