Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: Broadway in Cincinnati presents GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at the Aronoff Center

Admittedly, I’m not a huge Bob Dylan fan. Not for any reasons like dislike, but generationally I was never really exposed to his music. So when I heard there was a new musical using his catalog, my expectations were tampered. Girl From the North Country started its life in London before transferring to NYC Off-Broadway ahead of an inevitable Broadway run which was indefinitely affected by the pandemic. The buzz on the show was through the roof. Prior to its Off-Broadway run, it was looked at as that season’s probable awards darling. Surprisingly, it arrived with more of a splish than a splash, but a somewhat hampered Broadway run did follow, and now years later it has launched a national tour.

The show focuses on a boarding house in Deluth, Minnesota during the Great Depression (run by our core family) and its inhabitants. The story is very much of the “slice of life” variety in which not a lot happens, but though layered and nuanced performances, interesting dialogue, and hauntingly beautiful musical arrangements, I found myself completely invested in this everyday story about lost souls longing for connection.

This is a true ensemble show. I found everyone on this touring company held their own. For me, the standout performances are from Jennifer Blood as Elizabeth and Sharaè Moultrie as Marianne, her adopted daughter. Blood’s character struggles with mental health. Being 1934, her condition is never given a name, but it’s undoubtedly and totally affected her family as her condition has gotten worse over the years. In one moment, she will have you dying of laughter, and the next breaking your heart. The role is a feast and Jennifer Blood, the fine performer she is, leaves no crumbs. Sharaè Moultrie has a gifted vocal talent, and beautifully delivers my favorite song in the show “A Tight Connection to My Heart”. Moultrie also turns in a wonderful dramatic performance as a well-meaning daughter trapped between two worlds.

Other standouts include John Schiappa as Nick, the patriarch of the family. He plays this flawed and complex character and manages to keep the audience on his side. Jeremy Webb, as crooked “Bible salesman” Reverend Marlowe, does a wonderful job playing up the sleezy and shameful character he has been tasked with. He makes a meal out of what could easily be a one dimensional villain in less capable hands.

The set is sparse but effective, and the lighting by Mark Henderson is an absolute work of art. Those elements paired with Conor McPherson’s direction create many beautiful silhouettes and stage pictures that left me stunned.

This show won’t be for everyone, it just won’t. It plays more like a straight drama with music than a traditional musical, where the music serves more to deepen the emotions and less to advance or pair with the plot. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill jukebox musical, and for that I commend it. It’s very unique in its storytelling and makes the audience lean in to appreciate its understated and complex beauty.

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY

Now - October 29th

Aronoff Center For The Arts

650 Walnut Street Cincinnati, OH 45202.

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