ORLANDO, Fla. – Tuesday night was the opening night for the Dr. Phillips Center AdventHealth Broadway in Orlando 2024-2025 season.
The new season kicked off with the relatively new Tony Award-winning musical, “Girl From the North Country”. For the next nine months, Broadway in Orlando will feature at least 11 different award-winning productions, including several more Tony Award winners like “The Book of Mormon”, “The Cher Show”, and Disney’s “The Lion King”.
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“Girl From The North Country” takes the audience to Duluth, Minnesota in 1934, right in the middle of winter and in the grips of the Great Depression.
The audience will want to pay close attention as there’s a pretty long list of wayward travelers who all intersect in a guesthouse filled with music, desperation, and hope.
The guesthouse is owned by the Laine family. The patriarch, Nick Laine, is the main proprietor. His wife, Elizabeth, seems to be suffering from medical ailments which lead to several no-filter, flirtatious, and humorous outbursts toward other guests. Their son, Gene, is out of work and appears to be struggling with alcoholism as well as the loss of his sweetheart, Kate, who announces she’s marrying someone else with better job prospects.
The Laine family also includes their 19-year-old adopted daughter, Marianne, who is Black. Complicating matters, Marianne is pregnant and her dad, Nick, is trying hard to marry her off to a much older, local businessman, Mr. Perry.
The cast features several other guesthouse characters, including Mrs. Neilsen, who forms a not-so-subtle close relationship with Nick. The Burke family is also staying at the guesthouse, featuring Mr. Burke who lost his business in the Great Depression, his wife, who is clearly frustrated by their struggles, and their son who is coping with learning disabilities.
Finally, there’s Marlowe, who claims to be a reverend and Bible salesman, as well as his traveling companion, Joe Scott, who’s made a name for himself as a successful boxer.
The show is narrated by the Laine family physician, Dr. Walker.
Written and directed by celebrated playwright Conor McPherson, the musical reimagines more than 20 legendary songs of Bob Dylan as they’ve never been heard before, including “Forever Young”, “All Along The Watchtower”, “Hurricane”, “Slow Train Coming” and “Like A Rolling Stone.”
Afterward, I spoke with several people who attended opening night and many had mixed reviews. Some, who identified as big Bob Dylan fans, appreciated the jukebox-style musical and the opportunity to reimagine some of their favorite songs.
Another person felt an emotional connection to the characters and said the show brought tears to her eyes. Others told me they struggled to hear the cast on stage and follow along with the storyline.
Pro-tip: Some people I know regularly use Assistive Listening Devices (ALD), which are available for most shows, including Broadway to boost the audio. The devices are free, so just visit the concierge behind the Harvey & Carol Massey Family Grand Staircase in Della Phillips Grand Lobby.
Personally, I’m never disappointed taking in Broadway in Orlando at the Dr. Phillips Center. I find the entire experience from beginning to end absolutely magical. I didn’t grow up listening to Bob Dylan, but still recognized several songs and thought all the numbers were really well done. I did, however, grow up watching “The Lion King” and Cher is one of my all-time favorite singers so I’m excited to see those performances later in the season.
“Girl From The North Country” runs through Sept. 29 inside the Walt Disney Theater.
For more information on the AdventHealth Broadway in Orlando 24/25 season, show times, and tickets click here.