The Conor McPherson-Bob Dylan musical Girl From North Country, which enjoyed a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway run at the Public Theatre last fall, is headed for Broadway in the spring of 2020. Set to open at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre March 5, 2020, the musical begins previews on February 7. The jukebox musical premiered at London’s Old Vic Theatre in 2017 and then transferred to London’s West End for a 12-week limited engagement at the Noël Coward Theatre. The piece made its North American premiere at the Public Theater where it ran from September 30 to December 22, 2018.
The latest news for the production is that some of the casting is in place for its Broadway berth. Returning to their roles from the Public Theatre run are Todd Almond, Jeannette Bayardelle, Matthew Frederick Harris, Caitlin Houlahan, Robert Joy, Marc Kudisch, Luba Mason, Ben Mayne, Tom Nelis, David Pittu, Colton Ryan, John Schiappa, Kimber Elayne Sprawl, Rachel Stern, Bob Walton, Chelsea Lee Williams and Mare Winningham. New to the production will be Jay O. Sanders, taking over the role of Nick Laine played at the Public by Stephen Bogardus.
Girl From North Country features a book by playwright Conor McPherson (The Weir, The Seafarer) that interpolates the iconic songs of Bob Dylan into a plot that is described as follows: “1934. A time-weathered guesthouse in the heartland of America. Only a song can shake off the dust for one group of wayward souls—and old dreams may hold the promise of new beginnings. As they pass in and out of each other’s lives, their stories awaken with passion, fury and extraordinary beauty.”
The design team for Girl From North County includes scenery and costumes by Rae Smith, lighting nu Mark Henderson, and sound by Simon Baker. Also onboard are Simon Hale, providing orchestrations, arrangements, and music supervision, with additional arrangements by McPherson and Simon Hale. Movement will be staged by Lucy Hind. Additional casting and further details will be announced at a later date.
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals, The Disney Song Encyclopedia, and The Encyclopedia of Television Theme Songs. His forthcoming book, Sitcommentary: The Television Comedies That Changed America, will hit the shelves in October, 2019. He maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.