A beautifully stylistic story infused with a sense of family and community, yet driven by individual stories and twists, accompanied by the fantastic music of Bob Dylan – Conor McPherson’s Girl from the North Country hit the stage of the Theatre Royal for its Scottish premiere!
Set in Duluth, Minnesota, a small, rundown guesthouse run by Nick Laine is struggling to keep the doors open and stop his home from being taken over by the bank, while his wife Elizabeth suffers from dementia and floats in and out of moments of clarity. Nick and Elizabeth’s children also have their own problems – Gene is going nowhere in life and struggles with alcohol abuse, while Marianne is unmarried and 5 months pregnant. Guests and various eccentric locals come in and out of the house, all with their own secrets and backstories. From affairs; jail time, blackmail and morphine addiction, their secrets are slowly revealed to the haunting backdrop of Bob Dylan’s evocative music.
The writing and directing from Conor McPherson is extremely powerful. Every detail in the story is well thought out, played perfectly to the audience and each character’s resolution is nicely executed in the final quarter of the play. The dialogue itself is wholesome and heartwarming and at the opposing end it can also be dark and heartbreaking. McPherson really did manage to get a wide range of emotion in the story. The story was told very well, however, it did seem to be a bit too packed. There were quite a few important characters and every one of them had their own backstory and secret they were running from and this was great when it came to their payoffs in act 2, but act 1 felt a bit squashed and overcrowded story wise. This doesn’t take away from the beauty behind the storytelling and key themes of the writing. The directing was spot on for the piece. Very simplistic during the dialogue, then some slick, stylistic ensemble blocking during the musical numbers. A perfectly implemented and accomplished dynamic that was engaging to watch.
This wouldn’t have been possible without the brilliance of Lucy Hind – movement director – and Mark Henderson – lighting designer. Hinds movement pieces brought such a smooth, clean look to the dance scenes and the ensemble arrangements during songs. When you have 10+ people behind the main action it has to look good and this certainly smashed that out the park. Henderson’s lighting was great throughout the piece itself however it really stood out during the numbers as the use of a silhouette almost for specific moments really gave it that eye-catching factor that viewers will remember.
Rae Smith created this warm but yet still cold set for the guesthouse which was exactly what it should’ve been. The simplicity of the set allowed it to be used in a variety of ways and with adding an extra backdrop or turning the table, you were able to be transferred to a different room or even outside the house and it made the scenes flow very nicely into each other.
Colin Connors performance as Nick Laine was a vigorously building arc of stress and a heartwarming finish line of care and love. Throughout the story, Connor’s portrays both sides of Nick perfectly. You can see the frustration building in him with everyone around him but each and every time he has an outburst or someone pushes him a little, he brings it back immediately with the care and almost the responsibility he feels for every person under his roof. Connor’s range of acting throughout was executed with ease and you could always count on him to make you laugh when you needed it most.
Frances McNamee was exceptional as Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a character that had such a broad arc for the actor, from the fading from reality due to her illness, her hilarious one liner to her heartbreaking monologue to close the show – each element of the performance had to be strong and McNamee had no issue smashing everything thrown her way. Her voice was phenomenal, she had such a rounded, powerful tone and brilliant vibrato and had the audience in awe anytime she was in front of a mic. McNamee’s use of physical comedy was very clever for the character. Accompanied by her witty dialogue, the body language and physicality made her stand out in every scene regardless of where she was set on stage. The audience couldn’t take their eyes off her. From the funny side to the dark side, McNamee had a beautiful understanding of her character and this was shown during her hard moments and the heartache felt whenever there was a hint of lucidness drifting away and especially during the closing monologue – McNamee had the audience in the palm of her hand.
Justina Kehinde was great as Marianne. She really portrayed Marianne as both strong and powerful but also equally as vulnerable and fragile. Kehindes singing was grasping and her rendition of Tight Connection to my Heart was eye watering. Her chemistry with her fellow cast members she interacted with seemed effortless and this gave such a comfortability to her performance which was lovely to watch.
Joshua C. Jackson is a powerhouse performer. His role of Joe was a standout in the show. From the development of the character arc and story, to the energy and charisma of Jackson, the audience loved everything Jackson had to offer. His singing was breathtaking, his ability to utilise his range and keep that power and energy in his vocals whilst parading all around the stage was impressive. His emotional range fitted the character, showing the ability to go from charismatic and charming to vulnerable and authoritative.
Gregor Milne as Gene was a great choice. Milne’s performance was both dramatic and subtle and this became the perfect combination for Milne’s characterisation. He highlighted Genes’ troubles expertly, creating this facade of this unnerved bad guy but in reality he is just broken and lost. Milne played the balance very well and his incredible singing and storytelling through the touching song I Want You really honed in on the vulnerableness of Gene and Milne showcased his extraordinary skills throughout his performance in the show.
The ensemble were the glue for this show. They filled the stage and really gave that feeling of warmth and community that the guest house stood for. The dancing brought energy and fluidity to scenes and the vocals by everyone blew the audience away. Additional characters such as the Burke’s, Mrs Neilsen, Reverend Marlowe, Dr Walker and Mr Perry added unique and creative elements to the overall story, whilst bringing their own turmoil to the boiling pot of hidden secrets.
In conclusion, every performer played their role exceptionally well and each contributed something important to the success of the story and the musical as a whole. Even with a crowded act 1, everyone in attendance couldn’t help but be glued to every single thing happening.
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/girl-from-the-north-country/theatre-royal-glasgow/
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