Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...To my mind, jukebox musicals have two meaningful artistic purposes. One is to make the audience feel strong and powerful again by replicating the songs that chartered their youth, a la "Jersey Boys." The other, yet better one is to recontextualize the work of a great songwriter and make you hear and feel it in striking, fresh ways. That's what "Girl From the North Country" achieves. Dylan was born in Duluth, not on New York's Christopher Street. He was just one generation removed from the characters in this show, all fighting for life on the shores of Lake Superior, mangled and squeezed by the residue of the Great Depression and subconsciously afeared of the war ahead, a conflict perfectly timed to torpedo those who had actually gotten their acts together."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...So the first thing to know about "Girl from the North Country" is that Dylan's music is put to McPherson's purposes. In some cases, you might not even immediately recognize the songs, as they're significantly re-orchestrated and arranged by Simon Hale. You will never hear a "Like a Rolling Stone" like this one, a plaintive, lonely plea for understanding, with the question "How does it feel?" ringing out as if it were the title."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...There are several splendid moments in Girl From the North Country, and Dylan fans in particular may well enjoy these reworked takes on his canon. But overall, McPherson's narrative gets tangled up in the blues without a satisfying payoff."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...The problem with Girl from the North Country is not the music, but Conor McPherson's play. Dylan's songs are incidental, music in a variety show. Neither the plot, nor its setting in Duluth, Minnesota, 1934, are derived from Dylan. By contrast, a musical like Million Dollar Quartet is all about Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis and the music they made together; the plot is entirely secondary. In Girl from the North Country, McPherson's dull and depressing plot is primary, offers no message of hope, and the characters are hard to like."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...Some have been critical that the play doesn't have Dylan's greatest hits songs in the production, but the play was centered around songs he chose for Girl From The Country and were perfect. And who doesn't love the music of Bob Dylan? The play features 20+ songs by his troubadour, who has delighted audiences with his unforgettable songs for over 60 years. The script by Irish playwright, screenwriter, and director Conor McPherson, who received an honorary doctorate of literature from the University College Dublin, allows this musical to breathe with a treasure trove of acting roles, where every character has a memorable role."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Bob Dylan’s genius takes center stage in the touring production of “Girl from the North Country”, the latest Broadway in Chicago show to hit the CIBC Theatre. Filled with marvelous music and lyrics, this jukebox musical features twenty-two of Dylan’s songs written over five decades and highlights his signature song “Girl from the North Country” (1963). We hear “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965), “Forever Young” (1974), “Slow Train” (1979), “Pressing On” (1980), and “Make You Feel My Love” (1997) among others. In addition to the cast’s great singing voices, Simon Hale’s orchestrations, arrangements, and musical supervision add to the show’s excellence. Plus, the score is pleasingly executed, thanks to music director Timothy Splain."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...Filled with a raft of songs by Bob Dylan and re-orchestrated by Simon Hale, the show features hit songs like the title tune, "Hurricane," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "Forever Young." It's an often sad, bitterly heartbreaking show and doesn't provide a happy ending for most of its characters. But it tells a story of ordinary people just trying survive life by "Pressing On." It's a mesmerizing and unparalleled production, written and directed by Connor McPherson, performed by a great-sounding band and brought to life by a strong, talented cast. Despite being different than most musicals, it remains a bittersweet and beautiful show that audiences won't soon forget."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Girl from the North Country, a musical adaptation of Bob Dylan’s songs by the Irish playwright Conor McPherson, has already appeared in London’s West End, Off-Broadway at the Public Theater, and on Broadway itself until the COVID pandemic led to its premature closing. It is now on its North American tour and runs through February 25 at the CIBC Theatre in the Loop."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Nothing is really resolved in The Girl From the North Country, but how could it be? Most of these characters, despite their problems, have too much of their journeys remaining. For two hours, though, McPherson invites us to walk in their shoes, feel what they feel, and understand their joys and struggles. This is not any kind of typical musical. It's a show that demands much from its audience and rewards them with a kind of visual poetry that will stay with them long after they leave."
Chicago Culture Authority - Somewhat Recommended
"...So I'm of two minds about this show, which was too gloomy for several patrons to stay for the second act on the Valentine's Day opening night. A false ending before the final number occasioned an additional small rush for the exits. But those of us who stayed were rewarded with stories of compelling hard-luck cases with no better options than waiting out a hard winter at the bottom of the boarding-house barrel."
BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended
"...Times are hard at the Duluth, Minnesota guesthouse in GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, and the musical's narrative threads and lack of strong connection between scenes and songs mirror the varied and erratic behaviors of the guests coming and going from the property. If you're a fan of Bob Dylan's songs, you'll enjoy hearing them expertly sung, but McPherson's story doesn't connect them together in a cohesive narrative."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The end result is something that defies categorization. Is “Girl From the North Country” a musical? Not by any previously recognizable template. A play with songs? Perhaps, but in the world the work inhabits, words and music and songs seamlessly intersect, even if the lyrics are often left to linger at their own pace."
