EDGE ShortCuts: Dylan and Cher Musicals; 'Alan Cumming Won't Act his Age'; and Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester

Editor's note: "EDGE ShortCuts" will be a column that covers Boston cultural events.

'The Girl From the North Country'

"What a story! Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." That quote (from "All About Eve") came to mind when thinking of "The Girl From the North Country," Conor McPherson's gorgeous and woeful musical, currently on tour after its abbreviated Broadway runs. The Irish playwright, best-known for "The Weir" and "Shining City," has crafted a Depression era libretto with many characters and plot memes, in which he curates 20-Bob Dylan songs to create a haunting portrait that at its best suggests Walker Evans period photo come-to-life. The time is 1934, the place is a rooming house in Duluth, MN, owned by Nick Laine, in which the musical's many characters live or pass through; or, given the economic realities, endure.

While McPherson's interconnect narratives never amount to much more than cliches drawn from Depression-era plays and films, they receive a surprising lift from Dylan's often mournful songs, which don't so much move the story forward as illuminate the characters' wants and desires, making them richer and more sympathetic. In lesser hands, this musical could be dreary, but under McPherson's razor-sharp direction, the show takes hold. And with its first-rate cast committed to making the melodrama vivid and real, it is difficult not to succumb to its emotional pull. Just to watch Jennifer Blood's wrenching "Like a Rolling Stone" makes the touring production worth seeing. The true star turns out to be musical director and orchestrator Simon Hale, who won a Tony for his exemplary work. Using a handful of instruments identified with folk music of the period (piano, fiddle, harmonica) and evocative choral arrangements, Bob Dylan's music finds its theatrical voice. One cavaet, though, is his dense lyrics often are difficult to follow.

"The Girl From the North Country." Presented by Broadway in Boston. At the Emerson Colonial Theatre, through March 24. For more information, click here.
For more information on the national tour, click here.

'Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age'

Alan Cumming is having a career high thanks to "The Traitors," the Peacock reality show that he hosts with cheeky humor and outrageous Tartan outfits. (The setting is a Scottish castle.) But when he appeared at Sanders Theatre in a concert sponsored by The Celebrity Series of Boston last week, he made no mention of the hit series (or wear any of his tartan ensembles). Instead, his focus, as the show's title suggests, is how he deals with aging. After a spirited reading of "But Alive," the campy, life-affirming anthem from "Applause" which he sang in a croak that recalled Lauren Bacall (who sang it originally), he explained how he recently turned 59 and the subject of "acting his age" began to obsess him.

As anyone who has seen the very cheeky Cumming before knows that acting is age is not really a consideration; but throughout this show, he returned to his fears of succumbing to the tyranny of his peers wanting him to do so. Acknowledging he was a name-dropper, he proceeded to tell sweetly funny and touching stories of late celebrities who touched his life, including Florence Henderson, with whom he did vodka shots at Carol Channing's 95th birthday party, and Sean Connery, his Scottish comrade who called Cumming "his Bonnie prince." He also touched upon his sexual life (extensive) and relationships (many), adding that he has finally settled into being happily married. And, of course, he told stories about his East Village haunt, Club Cumming, and how he tried to get Paul McCartney to do a number one night at his club – and the sharp retort he received in return. (Instead, the ex-Beatle accompanied Cumming and Emma Stone in song.) Given the show's subject, his song set leaned into titles that touched upon the meaning of life, notably his funny, personalized take on Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?". Vocally throughout he struggled some, though was able to deliver sterling performances of two iconic Liza Minnelli songs: "Maybe This Time" and "It Was a Good Time."

"Alan Cumming is Not Acting His Age," presented by the Celebrity Series of Boston, Friday, March 15, 2024. Sanders Theatre. For more information on Alan Cumming, click here. For more information on the Celebrity Series of Boston, click here.