THEATRE
WITH MATTHEW MYERS
THE TIMES ARE STILL A-CHANGING The music of Bob Dylan is proving an unlikely musical theatre hit with Girl From The North Country.
The challenge is to make sure my story telling is respectful to the people who lived through those times. For Peter Kowitz, the role of Nick Laine felt like a culmination of other working-class characters he has portrayed in recent years. The case of Laine, in particular, required establishing a unique southern drawl. “I had to research the mid-western accent that my character speaks,” says Kowitz. “It included an online course and a dialect coach to finesse my efforts, and I also did a lot of 26 DNA
Girl From The North Country with Callum Francis and ensemble.
reading on The Depression era in the United States. Mine is the only character who doesn’t sing in the show, so my biggest challenge is keeping my damn mouth shut when our glorious cast are killing it! “I bought the Girl From The North Country album when I was a kid living in the country,” says Kowitz. “I loved that album and when I learned the play was by Conor McPherson, I had to do it. About five years ago I was in a production of his play The Weir for the Melbourne Theatre Company, and it’s one of my fondest memories.” With musical direction from Andrew Ross, the cast includes Christina O’Neill, Greg Stone, Grant Piro, Lisa McCune, Zahra Newman, Terence Crawford, Helen Dallimore, Tony Black and Peter Carroll. Callum Francis, well known to Australian audiences as Lola from Kinky Boots, takes up the role of troubled boxer Joe Scott. “It’s nice to play someone who is completely opposite to yourself,” says Francis. “It always feels like the fit is better because you can leave yourself at the door. I think the challenge with this one is to make sure my story telling is respectful to the people who lived through those times. Though they aren’t based on real people it’s a story from a very real time in history, and the challenge is being mindful of that.” To research his role, Francis watched various boxing documentaries and even took classes to gain an understanding of the sport. “It’s fascinating looking into the lives
and careers of boxers like Joe Louis and heavyweight world champion Jack Johnson,” says Francis. “Johnson made history by winning that title here in Sydney in 1908. But I also did research into what it meant to be a person of colour in those times and how living everyday life was a struggle in itself.” Girl From The North Country has earned critical praise, being labelled “an instant classic” and a masterpiece. “In a time where we haven’t had theatre for so long, I hope people leave feeling a sense of community and connection,” says Francis. “Theatre is wonderful and will always survive because of people’s need to escape for a few hours into someone else’s story, and North Country will do that for you.” Kowitz agrees, drawing a parallel to the show’s themes and our current world situation stemming from the pandemic. “This production speaks of a time of despair,” he says. “Yet it ultimately resonates with hope, and I think audiences will appreciate that parallel with the journey we’ve all made in these last few years. I, for one, hold these precious moments on stage with my fellow cast members more dearly than I ever have before.”
MORE: Girl From The North Country is currently playing at the Theatre Royal Sydney, before heading to Adelaide and Melbourne. For more: northcountry.com.au
PHOTO DANIEL BOUD
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t seems the jukebox musical hasn’t quite unplugged yet, with new productions involving the music of Bob Marley (Get Up, Stand Up!), Tom Jones (What’s New Pussycat?) and Britney Spears (Once Upon A One More Time). And while most would consider Bob Dylan the unlikeliest to let his back catalogue get the stage treatment – although David Bowie did give us Lazarus – the resulting Girl From The North Country has, indeed, found success, even earning two prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards. Twenty Dylan songs including Like A Rolling Stone, Hurricane, Lay Lady Lay, Forever Young and the title track are featured in the show. Set during the Great Depression of the 1930s in a rundown Minnesota guest house, the cast of interesting characters includes Nick Laine, the proprietor, and his eclectic family. While Nick is having an affair with widowed resident, Mrs Neilsen the establishment is also shared by the Burke family, still struggling from the Wall Street crash. Add to this the arrival of a bible salesman and a down-on-his-luck boxer and there are enough character dynamics to rival Long Day’s Journey Into Night.
