Overview:
The Key Bank Broadway Series brings the musical "Girl From the North Country" to the Connor Palace Theater in Cleveland until November 19th. The show features the music of Bob Dylan and is set in Duluth, Minnesota in the Fall of 1934. The cast includes Sharaé Moultrie as Marianne, a Black unmarried pregnant woman, and John Schiappa as Nick, the owner of the boarding house facing foreclosure. While the show is enjoyable for theater lovers and has a diverse cast, it may not be for everyone due to its complex storylines and lack of flow.
by Shana Black
‘Girl From the North Country’ is the next installment of the Key Bank Broadway Series. The show is playing at the Connor Palace Theater until November 19th. The setting is a boarding house or motel in Duluth, Minnesota in the Fall of 1934, and features the music of Bob Dylan.
The boarding house is owned by Nick (John Schiappa) and his wife, Elizabeth (Jennifer Blood). Nick is facing foreclosure, and Elizabeth is dealing with some kind of mental illness. They have a son named Gene (Ben Biggers) and a daughter Marianne (Sharaé Moultrie) who is Black, pregnant and unmarried. The town doctor, Dr. Walker (Alan Ariano), who is addicted to morphine believes that Marianne may be having an emotional episode and not actually be pregnant.
The cast also includes the visitors of the boarding house, which allows for a romance, an affair, a death, and an arranged marriage with a man up in age. Each of these unique storylines gives the show depth but they do not seem to overlap except when they all interact during meals or in the common areas of the boarding house.
The show will be enjoyable for theater lovers. Whether you are a Bob Dylan fan or not familiar with his music at all, the vocals and the songs were top-notch. The show also has a diverse cast and has a storyline that deals with race in the 1930s.
For people that thought they’d check it out after seeing The Wiz, it’s vastly different, in every aspect, as it should be. The show takes place during the Great Depression/Dustbowl time so the colors are more muted, and the single setting of the boarding house felt small for a jukebox musical.
At times the show didn’t flow as smoothly as many other musicals. It felt more like a play that had song breaks. While I was glad I saw the show, I don’t feel like I understood all that was going on. While each of the individual storylines made sense, when the line overlapped it felt like a lot to process. I remember thinking I wished I had seen the Broadway Buzz for more context beforehand but I left the show leaving with so many questions. It’s a good, solid show, and I can see why it won a Grammy and a Tony Award, it’s just not going to be for everyone.
Did you see the show? Tell me what you thought in the comments below
The GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY acting company includes Alan Ariano (Dr. Walker), David Benoit (Mr. Burke), Ben Biggers (Gene Laine), Paul Blankenship (Offstage Cover), Jennifer Blood (Elizabeth Laine), Ashley D. Brooks (Ensemble), Justin Michael Duval (Ensemble), Rayla Garske (Swing), Matt Manuel (Joe Scott), Kelly McCormick (Ensemble), Sharaé Moultrie (Marianne Laine), Hosea Mundi (Ensemble) Warren Nolan Jr. (Swing), Ali Regan (Swing), Jay Russell (Mr. Perry), John Schiappa (Nick Laine), Chiara Trentalange (Kate Draper), Danny Vaccaro (Swing), Jill Van Velzer (Mrs. Burke), Jeremy Webb (Reverend Marlowe), Aidan Wharton (Elias Burke) and Carla Woods (Mrs. Neilsen). Casting subject to change.