Girl From The North Country Review (Old Vic Theatre, London)

18 July / 22 August 2025 I 19:30 I Old Vic Theatre, London

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A dual-return to one of my favourite musicals this summer, Girl From The North Country is a delicately beautiful musical fable. The Old Vic becomes a home for the quaint often lost in the 21st century search for the mega-musical. A devastating observation of the Great Depression in 1930s America, we see characters at their worst and most vulnerable, orbiting around a family ravaged by misfortune. Presented in linear vignettes, a fragmented structure becomes a zeitgeist for a decade of national anguish.

Identified with a folk soundtrack that reimagines Bob Dylan's greatest hits, Girl From The North Country is an audible slice of compassion. Despite the production remaining a replica Old Vic's original staging eight years prior, this revival has faced a bewildering critical response and decline in star ratings. However, Conor McPherson's century-old narrative is succinctly timeless, never more relevant as we bear witness to the comfort in the coming together of people.

Celebrating an exceptional cast that very much feels like a lived community, Katie Brayben storms a triumphant return as Elizabeth Laine in a humorous and poignant rendering. Her Like A Rolling Stone is one of those unforgettable theatre moments. While Dylan's lyrics do not narrate the stage action, this number serves as a psychological insight into Elizabeth's torment, an abstract glimpse of what freedom means. Brayben's vocals are unrestrained and fiery, amplifying an emotional end to Act One and anchoring the second with a maternal grace.

Simon Hale's adapted score scratches the right part of my brain, an authentic soundtrack that presents an ethereal quality. With live musical direction from Alan Berry, percussive and whole-ensemble instrumentals are monumental in filling a large auditorium, a reinforcement of disadvantaged communities thriving through a united sound. Initially unassuming, Hale's melancholic score is deeply affecting as its own language, intertwined with Lucy Hind's flowing and tender movement.

The Great Depression being highly affecting on society's women, Justina Kehinde's resilience through pregnant teen Marianne is an inspiring feat. Involved with the show for several years, her mastery through the character is evident, with emotionally outstanding vocals that allow an undeniable empathy for her innocence. Portraying scenes of racial injustice with respect and integrity, Colin Bates is a remarkably complicated Gene, introduced as a violent aggressor. McPherson's writing is carefully considered not to villainise roles, people embodying a spirit of the times opposed to presenting selfish motivations.

From Maria Omakinwa's ambitiously empowering Mrs. Neilsen to Rebecca Thornhill's devastating turn as Mrs. Burke, the performance quality is beyond exceptional to deliver, certainly in my case, many tearful and heartfelt moments. This contemporary musical's lasting preservation of humanity is somewhat infectious within McPherson's profound direction. Audiences are lucky to see Girl From The North Country make its encore return this summer, in one of my all-time favourite productions for today, and forever.