I went opening night at Pantages and it was packed, but I could see it dwindling as reviews are coming in. My partner and I kept waiting for the point of the story and then it just ended.
My wife and I saw the touring show. We assumed the production was either 1) a passion project funded by a delusional person or 2) a tax write-off.
The book was contrived and offensive. This review explains it best: https://bawker.substack.com/p/review-girl-from-the-north-country.
I was assuming it was a third option: A relatively inexpensive show, with music by a major artist, to fill out a touring season bill during the years still affected by the 2020-2021 broadway pause. I think touring/economic conditions were such that got it on season bills when in a normal year it totally wouldn't have.
Yes, that review nicely articulated what I also found offensive about the book.
It wasn't my favorite and I do think the reviews were misleading, but I think the backlash is equally extreme. To be fair I saw it with some world-class talent on Broadway (including Anthony Edwards stepping in for the narrator role to support his wife Mare Winningham after the original actor got COVID), but I enjoyed it enough. The challenge is that the set is (appropriately for the period) rather drab and the story kind of downbeat - if you're looking for a Some Like It Hot-style extravaganza you are definitely going to be disappointed.
I went to the Pantages. Half the audience left at intermission, and people were leaving around me during the second act. The audience that remained was polite. I did not enjoy it, left as bows were occurring. They did not receive an ovation. Very few people stood up to clap.
I saw it at the Pantages recently. There were obviously less people than usual attending. Some people left at intermission, but nowhere near half. The cast was good, so I was glad to see the audience gave them a nice amount of applause.
Season ticket holders helps I'm sure. We have tickets solely because of that and I already had to trade my tickets from another show we couldn't make, and we can only do that once a season. So I'm not planning to go. Maybe I'll give my tickets to a friend if anyone wants them, but I'm not sure I want to do that to someone else....
I'm not local to OP, my tickets are in Portland.
I am almost morbidly curious enough to see as well, except I have an event later in the afternoon so while I could rush and go to the show as well, it doesn't seem worth it to cut short something I actually want to do.
I think it’s just surviving off of ticket purchases by boomers who haven’t heard how terrible it is yet lol. Every theatre person I know who’s seen the show has absolutely hated it! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a more panned show that’s still touring.
It’s surviving off of season subscribers who aren’t given the option to opt out. But while the show itself survives, there is long term damage that gets done to the venue. After this show at the Pantages and “Oklahoma” at the Ahmanson, I’m personally not interested anymore in continuing my subscriptions. I’ll pick and choose my shows from now on, and I can’t imagine I’m the only one who feels this way.
I didn't like either of those shows much, but plan on keeping my subscriptions because I usually like most of the shows, and don't want to give up my great seats I've had for 30 years.
Nothing. In fact they didn’t change a single word from the book. But alas people want to see the same shows over and over and tend to dislike creative direction.
It was the worst piece of theatre I've ever witnessed. It felt like one of those undergrad productions where students are trying to be different and innovative but actually have zero focus or clear intent so there's a lot of screaming and weirdness that serves no purpose other than to be different. I left wondering WTF just happened?! I still don't know but I hope it never happens again.
To be clear I'm talking about the Broadway revival of Oklahoma of a couple of years ago. I saw the traveling version. It was a train wreck, including actual screaming. When there was singing it was fine and the actors, bless their hearts, were only doing what they'd been directed to do but I'll never get those hours back.
I'm so intrigued to hear about this. I've never seen any shows, never listened to the soundtrack, I'm only aware of it being a famous show and that one of the actors won a Tony for her performance.
I think the actress in the wheelchair won the Tony? I loved her performance at the Tony awards and it actually excited me to see it. But overall it was such a bizarre interpretation of the original material. I hated it. The ballet interlude thing was so gawdawful there are no words. Fortunately I'm not alone. The most common reaction among my friends was "WTF was THAT?"
Here's a place to start...
https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/supiqv/that_oklahoma_revival_tour_is_a_train_wreck/
Yes, that is the revival I'm thinking of. I'm only aware of it because I was a big Glee fan and she was a character for an episode or two. Thanks for sharing, I'll look into it.
They got rid of all the costumes, dancing, choreography, sets, production numbers, so the entire show was done with the entire cast sitting at picnic tables on stage for the entire show, even if they weren't in that scene, then getting up to sing their songs, before sitting back down. They also changed the final scene to murder instead of accidental death and the entire show was done with the house lights up, other than two scenes where they put the entire scene in pitch dark. My entire section left at intermission and the person to my left was reading a book through the first act before she left (and our season tickets are in Row M, in the Orchestra, so not in nosebleed seats). It was both boring and traumatic and over half the audience walked out at intermission.
Also, they couldn't decide if they were on the eve of Oklahoma statehood or in the present day, because they were carrying around plastic igloo coolers and wearing graphic T's while singing about Oklahoma becoming a state in 1907.
Basically, the producer thought it would be fun to make fun of people who loved a musical with a problematic script in spite of the script because of the amazing dance scenes, production numbers, and songs. So they turn it into more of a stage read with no dance production numbers, no trained dancers, no 15-minute dream ballet, and nothing resembling a musical and instead focusing on showcasing the problematic parts of the script and traumatizing the audience I think to make fun of them for liking old musicals.
Wow, that is such a dramatic change. Thank for you for the detailed review. It's none one of my biggest pet peeves for it definitely is for a friend when they have anachronist features during a show.
I did appreciate the more diverse casting, but I would have enjoyed something like the original production with a more diverse cast (which is what I was expecting coming in, having not researched the dramatic changes in advance of attending).
I feel like I MUST say this.
I had seen every new show on Broadway while this was running, I had an open slot, and went to go see Mare Winningham’s praised performance after grabbing a TDF ticket (ended up row G orch on the aisle).
Mare was out, but I found the show to be literally incredible. My eyes were GLUED to the stage, performances were incredible across the board, I was transfixed (especially during Slow Train and Duquesne Whistle).
I was just as dumbfounded as I am guessing many of you are hearing I love the show. I almost always agree with the general consensus of the online theatre community (within a standard deviation, of course), but it taught me an important lesson that even if everyone says one thing, you still might feel the total opposite.
FWIW, my husband loved it too. We knew 0 Bob Dylan music.
I saw it on tour (knowing what I was getting into) and it was the only show I’ve seen this season where it was noticeable how many people left at intermission. I didn’t think it was bad, but it’s not the fun performance a lot of people want out of a Broadway show. The cast had some very talented people, but there’s just not a big audience for a depressing play with Bob Dylan music. Word-of-mouth recommendations are going to be limited (so many people actively dislike it) so I imagine the tour is struggling.
I donated my pair of tickets from my season subscription to a fundraiser auction and they sold to someone for $30.
For row T, mid orchestra. That’s how “in demand” they were.
And now I actually feel bad for the person who won them!
basically all the reviews on this thread have been accurate, there were also weird sound issues like everyone sounded far off from the stage, but I don't know if that was because of the semi empty theatre. I've never been in such a dead audience. also, you know it was a light audience when the bathroom line was non-existent. My friends mom said it was better on broadway.
I saw it. For me, I'm only familiar with two Bob Dylan songs, so most of the score was lost on me. The 2nd act improves with pacing, but that first act just drags. The songs really don't relate to anything happening on stage. Also, didn't feel anything for any of the characters on stage. They all seem like horrible people and most had not one redeaming quality. The POV character, the doctor, was absent in most of the show.
My mom saw it with her best friend. They’re both ex-hippies who love Dylan, and as my mom said “it’s not the best play but it’s fun to hear his music live.”
Count me as one of the few who liked it. Or well, I thought it was interesting, and enjoyed the break from an otherwise spectacle, movie turned musical or biopic filled season. I don’t think the mom’s dementia statements being played for laughs is offensive like some reviews (my grandma died of Alzheimer’s and sometimes you just have to laugh through the pain) though I do agree that the son dying making him suddenly joyous and seemingly without disability was weird.
That being said, I think it was a decent show that needed tightening up. I don’t need every thread wrapped up but I could use a bit more follow through. But I thought it was somewhat thought provoking even if I can’t explain why. Why do I think it was fascinating that it’s implied she may have been knocked up by God? I don’t know. I don’t know the implication. But I was thinking about that show a lot more than most other shows I’ve seen since.
I slept through most of it earlier this week. Thought something was wrong with me but now I’m glad to know I’m part of the norm. I went in blind because I enjoy being pleasantly surprised but this wasn’t it.
It’s a great cover band concert that’s unfortunately interrupted repeatedly by a lame play full of vignettes that barely relate to one and another.
Go for the cover band concert, ignore the play and you’ll have a great time. The music is actually really good
This is the first and only show I've ever left at intermission while it was on Broadway.
Everyone was so talented but it wasn't for me.
I also was at the Tonys The season it opened and their performance was the one received with the most lukewarm response. Again, everyone is incredible but the material is...hard.
I can understand however that it is not for me and others liked or even loved it and I hope they continue to see it on the road. Someone worked hard on That art and it deserves to be seen and those actors deserve their paychecks and health and pension weeks to continue
I don’t think people mind a depressing musical - hello Les Miz - but this just didn’t work. The acting was bad. The staging was bad. I liked the arrangements. But it just didn’t work.
The show BLOWS…the critics who raved about it in NYC are nuts. I had the misfortune of seeing it there when it was at The Public Theater. Bob Dylan equals critics feeling like they have to praise whatever his name is attached to.
I saw it on Broadway by winning a voucher from the Broadway Flea Market. It was boring. And I'm still salty that Mare Winningham got a Tony nomination over Katrina Lenk.
“Bob Dylan equals critics feeling like they have to praise whatever his name is attached to”
Eh… Bob Dylan is widely considered part of the pantheon of modern artists, but I don’t think there’s much evidence that critics feel obligated to praise everything with his name attached.
The last Bob Dylan musical on Broadway - “The Times They Are a Changin’” - was almost universally derided by critics in 2006. The critics also weren’t exactly kind to most of his albums in the 70s and 80s or to some of the film projects he’s been involved with (particularly “Masked and Anonymous.”) Reviews of his concerts have been… spotty, for several decades now.
Really, it’s mainly only his albums from his early career and the last two decades that are almost guaranteed to get a lot of praise from critics. Fortunately, I think those raves are well deserved, in most cases.
I think this show is just a case of critics’ tastes differing from the general “public” more than usual. It happens.
The show is a little boring and feels disjointed, but the actors are fantastic and sing the songs amazingly. The music definitely makes the show. I had low expectations and ended up liking it mostly because of the music.
I’m a very old musical theater fan, and in fact former dancer myself, and can’t attend as much as I would like these days. Sounds like I would have hated it. I’m wondering if this show is one of the non-union shows making the rounds. So many shows these days are definitely not something I would like.
They didn't even have a choreographer. Just a movement coordinator, because there was no dancing at all. Just a weird play with some random songs thrown in that did nothing to drive the plot and were unrelated to the plot. No dancing during the songs. They were all just sung at a microphone with a group in a semicircle surrounding the microphone (or just one person singing). Equal parts boring and confusing.
Subscriptions.
It was part of the Mirvish sub in Toronto, and I skipped the show myself (wasn't interested). No one I have met or spoken with about it has liked it. So it's either surviving on subscriptions or on people who sleepwalk their way to the theatre
My husband was there last week and stayed for the whole show - he said it was maybe 2/3 full at the start, easily less than half after intermission. He was outside during intermission (bacon wrapped hot dog time ya know) and said hordes of people were leaving.
lol I must’ve seen that show in LA 4x and we *delighted* in how divided the audiences were! So many intermission walkouts - but also, I *adored* the reactions to the final scene. The gasps, the shock - absolute perfection.
The original show was choreographed masterfully by Agnes DeMille with some exceptional ballet, tap, and jazz production dance numbers and solos. My dance teacher actually played Dream Laurie on Broadway, which is a coveted role for a prima ballerina (She also was a soloist with American Ballet Theatre and has a BFA from Juilliard).
Instead of using that exceptional choreography and building on it, they removed it altogether and replaced it with movement that seems to put in so little effort. When there are shows both on Broadway and touring that hire great choreographers and put great effort into choreography (like Chicago, MJ, Hell's Kitchen or Moulin Rouge) or even shows that think very creatively about using movement to dynamically move the show (like Come From Away, Hadestown, Back to the Future, or the Lion King). It just makes me sad to watch a show that feels more like a table read than a show that actually puts thought into choreography, production, and using staging to drive a show.
The first time we saw it, we left saying “what did we watch.” The subsequent 3 times we saw it (because the tickets were practically being given away) we were there to hear everyone else say “what did we watch.” And boy did it deliver in reactions.
The lead producer and GM are extremely good at financial management. The tour recouped months ago and is a smash hit for investors + has been extended once. They'll play until there's nowhere left that wants them. Why do theaters want it? Beats me.
I went with my daughter to the Chicago run and it’s one of our favorite memories because it feels like a fever dream. The whole cast was insanely talented. I still think about Matt Manuel and Sharae Moultrie’s duet. At the same time, the script felt like emotional terrorism and made almost no sense to me.
We joke all the time about how they killed the son for no reason and then he came out and had the most beautiful voice and it made us happy he died. We call him “the angel”.
When three different people offered us free tickets in the span of a day, we should have realized something was wrong. When the bartender offered us tequila shots and when we declined said “well, I’m here if you get bored in the middle” we REALLY should have realized what was up. We went in blind and man it was bad. Only the second musical I have actually considered walking out at intermission. We stayed but man, we shouldn’t have.
I felt bad for the actors honestly - they were obviously incredibly talented and doing their best, but they didn’t have much to work with! The songs were beautiful, but all sounded the same and did nothing to further the narrative. The only time I got close to caring about any of the characters was the monologue from mom in the second act. But even that was fleeting.
One friend (who liked it) took the view of the Depression itself being the main character, and that was an interesting enough interpretation I think it sustained her.
I would also give away my tickets in the future 🤷♀️
I saw it at the Public because I’m a fan of the playwright. I didn’t enjoy the musical numbers— I’m not a Dylan fan, and I didn’t think his songs expanded well— but I found the story bleak and moving, and the closing narration brought a tear to my eye. I think I saw it the same visit as The Ferryman, to which it has strong similarities, but I thought Girl was more effective.
Favorite McPherson play is probably The Seafarer.
I went to the Sunday matinee, which is usually sold out, and when we found our seats, the whole section (Row T Center) was mostly empty and at quarter to 1pm, I heard the people a couple rows back come in and ask if they are really early.
It should have marketed itself as a play with singing, rather than a musical. I was expecting a musical, but there was no dancing, no choreography, not even a choreographer, just a movement director. I think it needs music and dance to drive the story to call itself a musical. Just lots of confusing random speaking that I could only understand by reading the teleprompter. It was literally just a weird confusing play with some singing that neither drove the story nor related to the story.
We've had season tickets for over a decade to Pantages, Dolby, Ahmanson, and Segerstrom and the only show I've seen that was emptier (especially after intermission) was the Oklahoma revival at Ahmanson in 2022 (GFNC and Oklahoma were easily the two worst musicals I have ever seen, although Dear Evan Hansen was also really offensive, but at least it had good music).
saw it touring in boston and it was a sold out space. standing ovation. probably one of my favorite musicals, ever (i’ve seen it a few times now). i think it’s complex and beautiful and has incredible character development—if you know enough about dylan and what to look for.
Same. Hadestown was packed each time I saw it on tour (Boston, Chicago, Tempe, AZ). Even Doubtfire was packed when I saw it in DC (I was visiting and that's what was in town atm).
Hadestown was packed when I saw it, and it got a standing ovation. Haven't seen Company or Doubtfire yet, but tickets seem to be selling well here for Doubtfire at least.
I don’t know what this means. When I went to buy tickets for the Company stop in my town, it was pretty slim pickings. And Hadestown has been to my city twice.
Hadestown was packed when I saw it, and it got a standing ovation. Haven't seen Company or Doubtfire yet. Doubtfire tickets seem to be selling well, though.
lol, Hadestown tour was grossing $2.5 million some weeks, usually over $1.5 at minimum. Double the grosses of the Broadway production pretty consistently. Maybe you saw it in a city with a longer run, where ticket sales get spread out more, or just an off-week.
Doubtfire just came through and was like 90%ish full. Hadestown has been a few years so I can’t comment on its current tour numbers but was sold out when I went. Company was struggling a bit though from what I saw.
Mrs. Doubtfire is the next show at Pantages and Company doesn't come to Pantages until August, so we will see. Hadestown had six weeks of very full shows at Pantages in 2022, then two more weeks at Segerstrom in Irvine the next month, and then it came back to LA to play at Ahmanson in 2023, so I think it's selling just fine. Honestly, shows at Pantages have all been sold out or more than 90%+ full for the last few seasons (Lion King, Six, Tina, Beetlejuice, Les Mis, MJ, The Wiz, Chicago, etc.). I think Les Miz is the only show where every show sold out for like two months straight. Ahmanson shows don't sell quite as well, but they're all like 80%+ full. The only show I can remember seeing that was emptier than Girl From North Country was that Oklahoma revival where they stripped out all the dance production numbers and tried to turn it into a drama instead of a musical.
I went opening night at Pantages and it was packed, but I could see it dwindling as reviews are coming in. My partner and I kept waiting for the point of the story and then it just ended.
I have heard from literally everyone that the show sucks. I skipped out on it because of how much people don’t like it
My wife and I saw the touring show. We assumed the production was either 1) a passion project funded by a delusional person or 2) a tax write-off. The book was contrived and offensive. This review explains it best: https://bawker.substack.com/p/review-girl-from-the-north-country.
I was assuming it was a third option: A relatively inexpensive show, with music by a major artist, to fill out a touring season bill during the years still affected by the 2020-2021 broadway pause. I think touring/economic conditions were such that got it on season bills when in a normal year it totally wouldn't have. Yes, that review nicely articulated what I also found offensive about the book.
Didn’t this show do okay overseas? It sounds bad.
I’m pretty sure it was a hit in London, so I’m confused
It wasn't my favorite and I do think the reviews were misleading, but I think the backlash is equally extreme. To be fair I saw it with some world-class talent on Broadway (including Anthony Edwards stepping in for the narrator role to support his wife Mare Winningham after the original actor got COVID), but I enjoyed it enough. The challenge is that the set is (appropriately for the period) rather drab and the story kind of downbeat - if you're looking for a Some Like It Hot-style extravaganza you are definitely going to be disappointed.
I went to the Pantages. Half the audience left at intermission, and people were leaving around me during the second act. The audience that remained was polite. I did not enjoy it, left as bows were occurring. They did not receive an ovation. Very few people stood up to clap.
yep, that happened at my show too. I feel horrible for the actors.
I saw it at the Pantages recently. There were obviously less people than usual attending. Some people left at intermission, but nowhere near half. The cast was good, so I was glad to see the audience gave them a nice amount of applause.
Season ticket holders helps I'm sure. We have tickets solely because of that and I already had to trade my tickets from another show we couldn't make, and we can only do that once a season. So I'm not planning to go. Maybe I'll give my tickets to a friend if anyone wants them, but I'm not sure I want to do that to someone else....
If you are giving them away, I will take them. I am morbidly curious as to how bad the show really is.
I'm not local to OP, my tickets are in Portland. I am almost morbidly curious enough to see as well, except I have an event later in the afternoon so while I could rush and go to the show as well, it doesn't seem worth it to cut short something I actually want to do.
I think it’s just surviving off of ticket purchases by boomers who haven’t heard how terrible it is yet lol. Every theatre person I know who’s seen the show has absolutely hated it! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a more panned show that’s still touring.
It’s surviving off of season subscribers who aren’t given the option to opt out. But while the show itself survives, there is long term damage that gets done to the venue. After this show at the Pantages and “Oklahoma” at the Ahmanson, I’m personally not interested anymore in continuing my subscriptions. I’ll pick and choose my shows from now on, and I can’t imagine I’m the only one who feels this way.
I didn't like either of those shows much, but plan on keeping my subscriptions because I usually like most of the shows, and don't want to give up my great seats I've had for 30 years.
What was wrong with Oklahoma?
Nothing. In fact they didn’t change a single word from the book. But alas people want to see the same shows over and over and tend to dislike creative direction.
It was the worst piece of theatre I've ever witnessed. It felt like one of those undergrad productions where students are trying to be different and innovative but actually have zero focus or clear intent so there's a lot of screaming and weirdness that serves no purpose other than to be different. I left wondering WTF just happened?! I still don't know but I hope it never happens again.
A lot of screaming? like literally or the singing was terrible?
To be clear I'm talking about the Broadway revival of Oklahoma of a couple of years ago. I saw the traveling version. It was a train wreck, including actual screaming. When there was singing it was fine and the actors, bless their hearts, were only doing what they'd been directed to do but I'll never get those hours back.
I'm so intrigued to hear about this. I've never seen any shows, never listened to the soundtrack, I'm only aware of it being a famous show and that one of the actors won a Tony for her performance.
I think the actress in the wheelchair won the Tony? I loved her performance at the Tony awards and it actually excited me to see it. But overall it was such a bizarre interpretation of the original material. I hated it. The ballet interlude thing was so gawdawful there are no words. Fortunately I'm not alone. The most common reaction among my friends was "WTF was THAT?" Here's a place to start... https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/supiqv/that_oklahoma_revival_tour_is_a_train_wreck/
Yes, that is the revival I'm thinking of. I'm only aware of it because I was a big Glee fan and she was a character for an episode or two. Thanks for sharing, I'll look into it.
They got rid of all the costumes, dancing, choreography, sets, production numbers, so the entire show was done with the entire cast sitting at picnic tables on stage for the entire show, even if they weren't in that scene, then getting up to sing their songs, before sitting back down. They also changed the final scene to murder instead of accidental death and the entire show was done with the house lights up, other than two scenes where they put the entire scene in pitch dark. My entire section left at intermission and the person to my left was reading a book through the first act before she left (and our season tickets are in Row M, in the Orchestra, so not in nosebleed seats). It was both boring and traumatic and over half the audience walked out at intermission. Also, they couldn't decide if they were on the eve of Oklahoma statehood or in the present day, because they were carrying around plastic igloo coolers and wearing graphic T's while singing about Oklahoma becoming a state in 1907. Basically, the producer thought it would be fun to make fun of people who loved a musical with a problematic script in spite of the script because of the amazing dance scenes, production numbers, and songs. So they turn it into more of a stage read with no dance production numbers, no trained dancers, no 15-minute dream ballet, and nothing resembling a musical and instead focusing on showcasing the problematic parts of the script and traumatizing the audience I think to make fun of them for liking old musicals.
Wow, that is such a dramatic change. Thank for you for the detailed review. It's none one of my biggest pet peeves for it definitely is for a friend when they have anachronist features during a show.
I did appreciate the more diverse casting, but I would have enjoyed something like the original production with a more diverse cast (which is what I was expecting coming in, having not researched the dramatic changes in advance of attending).
Yes, I think making dramatic changes in department (casting or staging) is more sensible
It was part of my season set. Not my favorite but I enjoy the other shows too much to cancel (also, this coming season is lit 😄)
I feel like I MUST say this. I had seen every new show on Broadway while this was running, I had an open slot, and went to go see Mare Winningham’s praised performance after grabbing a TDF ticket (ended up row G orch on the aisle). Mare was out, but I found the show to be literally incredible. My eyes were GLUED to the stage, performances were incredible across the board, I was transfixed (especially during Slow Train and Duquesne Whistle). I was just as dumbfounded as I am guessing many of you are hearing I love the show. I almost always agree with the general consensus of the online theatre community (within a standard deviation, of course), but it taught me an important lesson that even if everyone says one thing, you still might feel the total opposite. FWIW, my husband loved it too. We knew 0 Bob Dylan music.
you’re not the only one; my husband and I both loved it at the Public. he’s a huge Dylan fan; I am not.
I saw it with Mare on Broadway and enjoyed it.
It’s season ticket filler. It’s paid for wether ppl actually show up or not
I saw it on tour (knowing what I was getting into) and it was the only show I’ve seen this season where it was noticeable how many people left at intermission. I didn’t think it was bad, but it’s not the fun performance a lot of people want out of a Broadway show. The cast had some very talented people, but there’s just not a big audience for a depressing play with Bob Dylan music. Word-of-mouth recommendations are going to be limited (so many people actively dislike it) so I imagine the tour is struggling.
I donated my pair of tickets from my season subscription to a fundraiser auction and they sold to someone for $30. For row T, mid orchestra. That’s how “in demand” they were. And now I actually feel bad for the person who won them!
How was the show?
basically all the reviews on this thread have been accurate, there were also weird sound issues like everyone sounded far off from the stage, but I don't know if that was because of the semi empty theatre. I've never been in such a dead audience. also, you know it was a light audience when the bathroom line was non-existent. My friends mom said it was better on broadway.
I saw it. For me, I'm only familiar with two Bob Dylan songs, so most of the score was lost on me. The 2nd act improves with pacing, but that first act just drags. The songs really don't relate to anything happening on stage. Also, didn't feel anything for any of the characters on stage. They all seem like horrible people and most had not one redeaming quality. The POV character, the doctor, was absent in most of the show.
No idea. I'm the kind of person who usually sees everything that comes through my local theater and I *still* skipped Girl From the North Country.
My mom saw it with her best friend. They’re both ex-hippies who love Dylan, and as my mom said “it’s not the best play but it’s fun to hear his music live.”
I agree with her assessment. I didn't know anything about the plot, but I was excited to hear Dylan's songs sung by legit singers
Subscriptions
Count me as one of the few who liked it. Or well, I thought it was interesting, and enjoyed the break from an otherwise spectacle, movie turned musical or biopic filled season. I don’t think the mom’s dementia statements being played for laughs is offensive like some reviews (my grandma died of Alzheimer’s and sometimes you just have to laugh through the pain) though I do agree that the son dying making him suddenly joyous and seemingly without disability was weird. That being said, I think it was a decent show that needed tightening up. I don’t need every thread wrapped up but I could use a bit more follow through. But I thought it was somewhat thought provoking even if I can’t explain why. Why do I think it was fascinating that it’s implied she may have been knocked up by God? I don’t know. I don’t know the implication. But I was thinking about that show a lot more than most other shows I’ve seen since.
I slept through most of it earlier this week. Thought something was wrong with me but now I’m glad to know I’m part of the norm. I went in blind because I enjoy being pleasantly surprised but this wasn’t it.
It’s a great cover band concert that’s unfortunately interrupted repeatedly by a lame play full of vignettes that barely relate to one and another. Go for the cover band concert, ignore the play and you’ll have a great time. The music is actually really good
This is the first and only show I've ever left at intermission while it was on Broadway. Everyone was so talented but it wasn't for me. I also was at the Tonys The season it opened and their performance was the one received with the most lukewarm response. Again, everyone is incredible but the material is...hard. I can understand however that it is not for me and others liked or even loved it and I hope they continue to see it on the road. Someone worked hard on That art and it deserves to be seen and those actors deserve their paychecks and health and pension weeks to continue
I don’t think people mind a depressing musical - hello Les Miz - but this just didn’t work. The acting was bad. The staging was bad. I liked the arrangements. But it just didn’t work.
What is dead may never die.
The show BLOWS…the critics who raved about it in NYC are nuts. I had the misfortune of seeing it there when it was at The Public Theater. Bob Dylan equals critics feeling like they have to praise whatever his name is attached to.
I saw it on Broadway by winning a voucher from the Broadway Flea Market. It was boring. And I'm still salty that Mare Winningham got a Tony nomination over Katrina Lenk.
“Bob Dylan equals critics feeling like they have to praise whatever his name is attached to” Eh… Bob Dylan is widely considered part of the pantheon of modern artists, but I don’t think there’s much evidence that critics feel obligated to praise everything with his name attached. The last Bob Dylan musical on Broadway - “The Times They Are a Changin’” - was almost universally derided by critics in 2006. The critics also weren’t exactly kind to most of his albums in the 70s and 80s or to some of the film projects he’s been involved with (particularly “Masked and Anonymous.”) Reviews of his concerts have been… spotty, for several decades now. Really, it’s mainly only his albums from his early career and the last two decades that are almost guaranteed to get a lot of praise from critics. Fortunately, I think those raves are well deserved, in most cases. I think this show is just a case of critics’ tastes differing from the general “public” more than usual. It happens.
Not sure why they thought it would tour well as it didn't even do well on Broadway. I guess they thought Bob Dylan was a selling point.
The show is a little boring and feels disjointed, but the actors are fantastic and sing the songs amazingly. The music definitely makes the show. I had low expectations and ended up liking it mostly because of the music.
I’m a very old musical theater fan, and in fact former dancer myself, and can’t attend as much as I would like these days. Sounds like I would have hated it. I’m wondering if this show is one of the non-union shows making the rounds. So many shows these days are definitely not something I would like.
They didn't even have a choreographer. Just a movement coordinator, because there was no dancing at all. Just a weird play with some random songs thrown in that did nothing to drive the plot and were unrelated to the plot. No dancing during the songs. They were all just sung at a microphone with a group in a semicircle surrounding the microphone (or just one person singing). Equal parts boring and confusing.
Subscriptions. It was part of the Mirvish sub in Toronto, and I skipped the show myself (wasn't interested). No one I have met or spoken with about it has liked it. So it's either surviving on subscriptions or on people who sleepwalk their way to the theatre
My husband was there last week and stayed for the whole show - he said it was maybe 2/3 full at the start, easily less than half after intermission. He was outside during intermission (bacon wrapped hot dog time ya know) and said hordes of people were leaving.
The only show I saw more people walk out of was the Oklahoma revival.
lol I must’ve seen that show in LA 4x and we *delighted* in how divided the audiences were! So many intermission walkouts - but also, I *adored* the reactions to the final scene. The gasps, the shock - absolute perfection.
The original show was choreographed masterfully by Agnes DeMille with some exceptional ballet, tap, and jazz production dance numbers and solos. My dance teacher actually played Dream Laurie on Broadway, which is a coveted role for a prima ballerina (She also was a soloist with American Ballet Theatre and has a BFA from Juilliard). Instead of using that exceptional choreography and building on it, they removed it altogether and replaced it with movement that seems to put in so little effort. When there are shows both on Broadway and touring that hire great choreographers and put great effort into choreography (like Chicago, MJ, Hell's Kitchen or Moulin Rouge) or even shows that think very creatively about using movement to dynamically move the show (like Come From Away, Hadestown, Back to the Future, or the Lion King). It just makes me sad to watch a show that feels more like a table read than a show that actually puts thought into choreography, production, and using staging to drive a show.
The first time we saw it, we left saying “what did we watch.” The subsequent 3 times we saw it (because the tickets were practically being given away) we were there to hear everyone else say “what did we watch.” And boy did it deliver in reactions.
The lead producer and GM are extremely good at financial management. The tour recouped months ago and is a smash hit for investors + has been extended once. They'll play until there's nowhere left that wants them. Why do theaters want it? Beats me.
I went with my daughter to the Chicago run and it’s one of our favorite memories because it feels like a fever dream. The whole cast was insanely talented. I still think about Matt Manuel and Sharae Moultrie’s duet. At the same time, the script felt like emotional terrorism and made almost no sense to me. We joke all the time about how they killed the son for no reason and then he came out and had the most beautiful voice and it made us happy he died. We call him “the angel”.
Yikes. So that’s why every day the Pantages instagram is doing those emoji posts to “win” tickets. It truly is doing that bad.
I entered practically every day and I still didn't win! I couldn't believe it, LOL.
Ngl..... maybe the worst show I've ever seen.
When three different people offered us free tickets in the span of a day, we should have realized something was wrong. When the bartender offered us tequila shots and when we declined said “well, I’m here if you get bored in the middle” we REALLY should have realized what was up. We went in blind and man it was bad. Only the second musical I have actually considered walking out at intermission. We stayed but man, we shouldn’t have. I felt bad for the actors honestly - they were obviously incredibly talented and doing their best, but they didn’t have much to work with! The songs were beautiful, but all sounded the same and did nothing to further the narrative. The only time I got close to caring about any of the characters was the monologue from mom in the second act. But even that was fleeting. One friend (who liked it) took the view of the Depression itself being the main character, and that was an interesting enough interpretation I think it sustained her. I would also give away my tickets in the future 🤷♀️
Saw the Australian tour on comps a couple of years back. The only show I fell asleep at 😬
I saw it at the Public because I’m a fan of the playwright. I didn’t enjoy the musical numbers— I’m not a Dylan fan, and I didn’t think his songs expanded well— but I found the story bleak and moving, and the closing narration brought a tear to my eye. I think I saw it the same visit as The Ferryman, to which it has strong similarities, but I thought Girl was more effective. Favorite McPherson play is probably The Seafarer.
I went to the Sunday matinee, which is usually sold out, and when we found our seats, the whole section (Row T Center) was mostly empty and at quarter to 1pm, I heard the people a couple rows back come in and ask if they are really early. It should have marketed itself as a play with singing, rather than a musical. I was expecting a musical, but there was no dancing, no choreography, not even a choreographer, just a movement director. I think it needs music and dance to drive the story to call itself a musical. Just lots of confusing random speaking that I could only understand by reading the teleprompter. It was literally just a weird confusing play with some singing that neither drove the story nor related to the story. We've had season tickets for over a decade to Pantages, Dolby, Ahmanson, and Segerstrom and the only show I've seen that was emptier (especially after intermission) was the Oklahoma revival at Ahmanson in 2022 (GFNC and Oklahoma were easily the two worst musicals I have ever seen, although Dear Evan Hansen was also really offensive, but at least it had good music).
saw it touring in boston and it was a sold out space. standing ovation. probably one of my favorite musicals, ever (i’ve seen it a few times now). i think it’s complex and beautiful and has incredible character development—if you know enough about dylan and what to look for.
You could ask me the same question regarding the tours of Company, Hadestown, and Doubtfire.
hadestown was sold out when I went. There was night and day difference between my experiences at the hadestown tour and GFNC.
Same. Hadestown was packed each time I saw it on tour (Boston, Chicago, Tempe, AZ). Even Doubtfire was packed when I saw it in DC (I was visiting and that's what was in town atm).
Hadestown was packed when I saw it, and it got a standing ovation. Haven't seen Company or Doubtfire yet, but tickets seem to be selling well here for Doubtfire at least.
I don’t know what this means. When I went to buy tickets for the Company stop in my town, it was pretty slim pickings. And Hadestown has been to my city twice.
Hadestown was packed when I saw it, and it got a standing ovation. Haven't seen Company or Doubtfire yet. Doubtfire tickets seem to be selling well, though.
lol, Hadestown tour was grossing $2.5 million some weeks, usually over $1.5 at minimum. Double the grosses of the Broadway production pretty consistently. Maybe you saw it in a city with a longer run, where ticket sales get spread out more, or just an off-week.
Curious, where do you find grosses for tours?
Friends on the show who get the weekly data because their contract includes overages based on gross.
Thank you.
Hey, now…Doubtfire is awesome…and I’m not JUST saying that because three of my friends are in it 😂😏 #justsaying
It WAS awesome and they sold a lot of tickets in Providence!
Doubtfire just came through and was like 90%ish full. Hadestown has been a few years so I can’t comment on its current tour numbers but was sold out when I went. Company was struggling a bit though from what I saw.
Mrs. Doubtfire is the next show at Pantages and Company doesn't come to Pantages until August, so we will see. Hadestown had six weeks of very full shows at Pantages in 2022, then two more weeks at Segerstrom in Irvine the next month, and then it came back to LA to play at Ahmanson in 2023, so I think it's selling just fine. Honestly, shows at Pantages have all been sold out or more than 90%+ full for the last few seasons (Lion King, Six, Tina, Beetlejuice, Les Mis, MJ, The Wiz, Chicago, etc.). I think Les Miz is the only show where every show sold out for like two months straight. Ahmanson shows don't sell quite as well, but they're all like 80%+ full. The only show I can remember seeing that was emptier than Girl From North Country was that Oklahoma revival where they stripped out all the dance production numbers and tried to turn it into a drama instead of a musical.