Girl From the North Country: The Times They Have A-Changed by Jed Stahlback

 Jed Stahlback

Girl From The North Country

Girl From the North Country: The Times They Have A-Changed

Having grown up in Minnesota my entire life, and spent every summer in Duluth, Girl From the North Country’s setting was familiar but with otherworldly elements. The show is a step back in time, it’s simple yet complex, comforting yet disturbing, and nostalgic but so relevant. However, elements of it could be improved. Conor McPherson’s musical is set in Duluth, Minnesota during the Great Depression. Most of the story takes place in a guest house occupied by a multitude of people whom the difficulties of the depression have hit. The central plot line follows the Laine family who run the struggling guest house filled with friends and others who are struggling with issues of their own such as mental illness, financial problems, grief, and other troubles.

Dylan’s music throughout the show is utilized to make the musical feel more like a play with musical interludes, rather than a typical musical that uses music to move the show along. This made many of the performances and musical numbers feel dull and forgettable. An example of this is “I Want You” performed by Gene Laine (Ben Biggers) and Kate Draper (Chiara Trentalange), which felt cliché and overly sentimental for a plotline that was only mentioned once. However, some performances were phenomenal, such as Jennifer Blood’s portrayal of Elizabeth Laine, specifically her performance of “Like a Rolling Stone,” which was a spectacle to watch. Her movements during the song reflected her feelings and emotions, and her vocals were incredible. Many acting performances of the talented ensemble were eclipsed by how many plot holes were needed to fill in throughout the show, because of this, performances were hard to appreciate because you constantly had to keep playing catchup to understand the show.

The set and overall look of the show had a faded and dark appearance to it, making you feel as though you were in the 1930’s. The boarding house that the show revolved around reminded me a lot of my grandmother’s house in rural Minnesota. The costumes and set reminded me of photos that I have seen of the Great Depression, and what the Depression may have looked like in Duluth, a deep contrast compared to the clothing and houses of today. 

One major issue I had with the show was their portrayal of mental illness in characters and the stereotypes that McPherson used to create these characters. An example of this is Elias Burke, played by Aidan Wharton, who is portrayed as a disabled young man who is violent and threatening. Elias is implied to have murdered a woman, and later on, he almost murders his own father. Elias's character and its stereotypes could be compared similarly to Lennie's in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. However, this novel was written almost a hundred ago. Awareness of mental illness and neurodivergence has since changed, and so should the way neurodivergent characters are written. 

Girl From the North Country is a show with complex characters and storylines that accurately tell the story of those living in Minnesota during the Great Depression. Unfortunately, the message of the show gets lost in the complex storylines and befuddled musical interludes.