Girl from the North Country

Girl from the North Country is Conor McPherson’s musical drama, set in a Duluth boarding house during the Great Depression and shaped around more than 20 songs by Bob Dylan.

Rather than depicting Dylan as a character, it reworks familiar songs—including “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Hurricane,” and “Forever Young”—to accompany and illuminate the lives of the people in the story. Productions have explored different staging and musical approaches, including actor-musician ensembles; the Arden Theatre Company’s Philadelphia staging was directed by Terrence J. Nolen. Critical responses have considered both the songs’ emotional effect and the drama’s construction.