GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY

After writing a post about 'actors (who) can bring a tear to the eyes of the audience. They do this by playing their role with soul . . .' and that 'audiences who are impressed by the technique and the learning of all those lines, by university actors, but half the time you don't believe them.'

And then I go to the theatre last night and at the end of the show there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

I went to see GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at the Old Vic Theatre in London. It is what you have already guessed: a play with a title from a Bob Dylan song.

But not only that, it also uses his music. It was written by the brilliant Irish playwright Conor McPherson who conjures up a play, set in 1934 – which is before Dylan was born – and uses some of Bob Dylan's music.

It is a good play and it is peopled with some great actors from Ireland and Britain who use American accents. The fact that the piece is set in Duluth, Minnesota, didn't tempt any of them to try a Minnesota accent, like they use in programmes like Fargo, didn't distract from the evening of brilliance; in fact it was an evening of magic.

Even though I thought the play was brilliant I don't think it would have caught fire without the songs. What stands out is the genius of Dylan; not only are the lyrics outstanding but his songs are beautiful and they are beautifully performed by the cast. There are great singers and as some of the cast are well known I was surprised at how well they sung.

The genius of Dylan is of course in the words. They evoke all kinds of imagery and sometimes you wonder where he gets them from. For instance:

Idiot Wind Blowing every time you move your mouth
Blowing down the back roads headin' south
Idiot wind
Blowing every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot, babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe

I ran into the fortune-teller
Who said beware of lightning that might strike
I haven't known peace and quiet
For so long I can't remember what it's like
There's a lone soldier on the cross
Smoke pourin' out of a boxcar door
You didn't know it, you didn't think it could be done
In the final end he won the wars
After losin' every battle

There are many more, many more pieces of magnificence, and this is probably not the best, just something that came to me. It makes me think back to the naysayers when Dylan first came upon the scene and when it became clear that he had named himself after the poet Dylan Thomas they sneered and the same sneering started when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature but . . let them sneer.

There is a set of drums on stage, which various members of the cast play throughout the evening but . . . . it finishes on October 7^th.

I think it will be back soon in the west end and then the world – look out for it!!