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| GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) | |
| Posted by: jmill 12:50 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
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| I was just listening to the Broadway cast recording of GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY. I'm not a Dylan fan, and I wasn't familiar with most of the songs when I saw the show a few weeks ago. I liked the show, loved the songs, but couldn't call the show "ravishing," as some of its biggest fans did. I was aware going in that the music doesn't drive the narrative. I bought the CD after seeing the show and have been listening to it regularly ever since. I would guess that there are multiple theories on what each song means in the context of the musical. Some are easy to figure out. But one of my favorite songs and moments, "Duquense Whistle," nevertheless still mystifies me. The song is electrifying on stage, and clearly one of the high points in the show. That said, I'd love to understand what some of the shows' biggest fans, who have seen the show multiple times, think the song means, sung by the character who sings it, and coming at that point in the show. What is Conor McPherson trying to say? I wouldn't be surprised if he intentionally kept it vague and wanted each theatergoer to come to his or her own conclusions. Another favorite was Mare Willingham's absolutely gorgeous and haunting "Forever Young." I'd be interested in interpreations regarding that song too. Obviously I'm requesting spoilers, which I welcome. I'm glad I saw GIRL, and am looking forward to having the chance to see the video when it is made available. Perhaps with more familarity with the music and the story, I will find the show closer to ravishing next time around. |
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| re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 02:17 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 02:12 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
| In reply to: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) - jmill 12:50 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
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| The songs are not used in the standard juke box style, shoehorned into a text to use lyrics written in another context to serve a story. Rather, and they’re tied to the radio broadcast conceit carefully laid out in the libretto, they’re existential survival tools for characters who need music’s mystery to help them cope with life’s vicissitudes. The words sometime match circumstance but often amplify ineffable feelings. Literal plot specific parallels aren’t the goal. The emotion accessed and generated in performance helps characters find comfort, release pain, express joy. The show is a paean to the power of timeless music, its ability to lift and support in intolerable moments. | |
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| re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) | |
| Posted by: toros 04:03 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
| In reply to: re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) - Delvino 02:12 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
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| that is beautifully stated. and it's not easy to characterize the function of the specific song choices in GIRL, as their use is completely unique | |
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| re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 03:55 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
| In reply to: re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) - Delvino 02:12 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
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| That conceit may be carefully laid out in the libretto, but it is not carefully laid out in the production. Like OP, I was often mystified by the lyrics (at least the ones I could understand), because while some were quite on the nose storywise, others made no sense for the context or the characters. Spoiler This was particularly an issue in the already problematic Duquesne Whistle number - the erratically violent autistic man who is either murdered or allowed to die by his father gets a flashy Heaven dream song as his reward, because I guess you’re no longer autistic when you’re dead - where the lyrics refer to a love of his who is waiting for him to return. A fantasy love? Is this his fantasy of the life he might have lived? Who knows, because all we’ve been told about this guy is he’s dangerous and developmentally disabled (a cliche I would love to see Broadway stop re-visiting). Fortunately, the sound design is muddy enough that a lot of the lyrics were unintelligible, so it didn’t entirely matter that the words made about as much sense as, well, the libretto itself. |
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| re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 02:26 am EDT 06/26/22 | |
| In reply to: re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) - Singapore/Fling 03:55 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
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| I saw Girl from the North Country four times and had no problem understanding any lyrics each time. I was so impressed with the sound design become no one was over amplified. And the orchestrations were beautiful. | |
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| re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) | |
| Posted by: Guillaume 05:17 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
| In reply to: re: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY Questions (SPOILERS requested) - Singapore/Fling 03:55 pm EDT 06/25/22 | |
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| It seemed pretty obvious to me that the poetry of this moment was that the son moved on to a better place with his death, hence the incredible feeling of joy of that number that is celebrated by all those who knew his difficult life. It's a belief that his state after leaving life on earth is better. There are major religions whose tenets include a belief that at death a person is released from human bondage, corporal pains, emotional suffering, poverty, etc. There are even major musicals who have used this setup and release effectively. | |
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