Review: Girl From The North Country (The Old Vic)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Old Vic is enjoying a Conor McPherson double bill at the moment. Following the world premiere of The Brightening Air back in April, it’s time for the return of an old favourite as Girl From The North Country heads back to where it all first started eight years ago for an encore run. Having wowed audiences back then and gone on an incredible journey, winning Olivier and Tony awards for its trouble, would it have the same impact this time around?

Premiering at the Old Vic in 2017, Girl From The North Country has since received two West End runs, a Broadway transfer, and tours in the UK and US, with a film adaptation said to be in the works. Set in America in 1934 during the Great Depression, it sees a group of wayward travellers coming together at Nick Laine’s rundown guesthouse. With an unwell wife, a troubled son, and a pregnant daughter, the group of strangers staying at his guesthouse adds extra dynamics to the mix as they experience love, loss, and all of the complexities of life together.

Written and directed by Conor McPherson, Girl From The North Country is fairly unique in its execution, blurring the lines of genres and flat-out refusing to follow the rules of what you would expect the show to be, subverting expectations and carving its own distinct identity in the process. The result is a show that will prove divisive, with its adoring fans inevitably joined by those who just can’t resonate with it at all. I fell somewhere in the middle, going on a journey along the way where I found myself loving it at some moments, and not quite so much at others.

It is quite an understated affair at times, with a series of quiet scenes and intimate moments making up a large chunk of the story. Some will find this style gripping while others may lose interest - personally, I enjoyed it for the most part, though I noticed it highlighted a slightly uneven pacing later on. Despite a ramp-up in action, the second Act proved a bit slower for me, and I found myself more detached from it than the first. Though the writing is rich in itself at times, the choice to fill the story with so many characters means they aren’t always as fleshed out as you would hope, with some characters having more in their personality and history than others. You could say this is to be expected with a guesthouse, as you only learn what is on the surface of the people who come and go, though when it comes to a play, you long to learn more about them and form some sort of connection.

A frustration I had with the writing was how several plot points were mentioned and then glossed over. One intense scene between two of the guests sees a blackmail plot that seemingly never comes to fruition, with nothing ever mentioned the next time the pair are seen on stage. An immeasurable loss is also sidelined very quickly, though this is theatre, and things need to move quickly, I did find this slightly jarring. Though Girl From The North Country has its moments of darkness, there is also some light to be found with the moments of comedy refreshing to break up the intensity of some of the story.

The show fares much better when it bursts to life with music. Though technically a jukebox musical, songs appear and disappear sometimes unexpectedly to resemble more of a play with music than anything else. There is a degree of some of the songs feel somewhat shoehorned in and not adding much to the story or lacking in relevance, but it is hard to fault that when the stage comes alive through the sounds. It is the music of Bob Dylan that forms the heart of the story, with some glorious musical numbers to be found, though don’t expect to find many of his greatest hits here, with more care being taken to find songs that fit the tone of the story.

McPherson’s direction features some great choices, using a simple but effective set design from Rae Smith that helps make the segues from dialogue to music more seamless. Though the content of the music in relation to the story can appear clunky, the way McPherson has characters move into musical performance mode glosses it up slightly, making it easier to forgive the clunkiness.

The strongest aspect of this production of Girl From The North Country is undoubtedly its stellar cast, Colin Connor holds it all together as Nick Laine with great albeit memorable turns from Teddy Kempner as Mr Perry and David Ganly as Mr Burke. Maria Omakinwa gives a strong presence as Mrs Neilson, leaving me longing to see more from her, while Justina Kehinde is a huge highlight with a charismatic turn as Marianne Laine.

The star of the show is the incredible Katie Brayben, once again proving why she is such a reliable and impressive performer with two Olivier Awards to her name so far. Returning to the role of Elizabeth Laine, she gives a performance that has some humour to it while carrying a weight of tragedy due to the character’s health. Not an easy balance ot get right, but Brayben manages it effortlessly, resulting in a well-rounded and captivating portrayal that steals every scene she is part of.

Where the cast truly shines is their musical ability. With some playing instruments on stage, the vocals elevate Bob Dylan’s music to glorious heights. Highlights include Brayben delivering incredible vocals on ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ and a breathtakingly beautiful climactic performance of ‘Forever Young’, two of the best-known numbers in the show. Elsewhere, Sifiso Mazibuko gets a chance to soar on ‘Slow Train’ while Maria Omaninwa leads the cast in a rousing finale of ‘Pressing On’. Though his character doesn’t have much to do in life, Steffan Harri delivered one of the standout musical numbers of the night with an impressive ‘Duquesne Whistle’ - this is a common theme in the show of cast members being incredibly talented but not quite having their talents utilised consistently.

There are moments in Girl From The North Country that felt extremely similar to Standing At The Sky’s Edge, with the multiple stories interweaving through the use of storytelling in an existing songbook. Though this musical predates the other, I would say perhaps …Sky’s Edge delivers on these themes more successfully, blending all of the elements together to make one cohesive story. That is where this production struggles slightly, with various contrasting elements never quite fitting together as seamlessly as hoped. The music doesn’t quite further the story as much as you would hope, with elements of the writing not quite as rich as I would hope. That isn’t to say Girl From The North Country isn’t without its charm, and there are many who will disagree with my thoughts and won’t be able to find any fault with this production. That is the beauty of theatre after all, and while I appreciate all of the strengths this show has, to this reviewer, it felt like it was still in need of tightening up, so it didn’t manage to quite blow me away.

Girl From The North Country plays at the Old Vic until 23rd August. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/musical/girl-from-the-north-country-tickets

Photos by Manuel Harlan