Slow Train Coming: Bob Dylans Girl From the North Country and Broadway's Rebirth

(Hardback)

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Description

Despite historic, seemingly insurmountable setbacks of five openings, Bob Dylan's musical Girl from the North Country has gone on to become an enormous critical and commercial Broadway hit. Hailed as an experience as close as mortals come to heaven on earth, by The New York Times, the musical weaves two dozen songs from the legendary catalogue of Bob Dylan into a story of Duluth during the Great Depression to create a true future American classic. Taking its title from the uplifting finale of the musical, Pressing On is a book about exactly that: pressing on in the face of extreme adversity. This behind-the-scenes oral history follows the show from its beginnings at New Yorks Public Theater where it emerged as an underdog-of-a-show, through a fraught jump to Broadway against a backdrop of the emerging Covid-19 pandemic and longest shutdown in Broadway history which resulted in the theatre industry's subsequent fight for survival. Told through personal stories, anecdotes from the cast, production shots, behind-the-scenes photos, and insights from the creators, the book is both an inside look at a perilous moment one of Americas proudest institutions, Broadway, and a true story of American grit and determination lived by the company of this quirky musical-that-could. Pressing On captures the incredible journey of the musical from potential disaster to smashing success, whilst at the same time documenting a significant period of Broadway history throughout the pandemic shutdown and rebirth of 2020-2022.

Author Bio

Todd Almond is an acclaimed performer, songwriter, and playwright. His recent performance on Broadway in Girl from the North Country was called stunning by The Washington Post and roof-raising, uplifting, and invigorating by Hollywood Reporter. His musical The Odyssey, for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics, was hailed as brash, funny and heart-stirring by The New York Times. His theater piece Kansas City Choir Boy was called awesome, slyly punk rock by Rolling Stone. Almond is known for his singular songwriting in addition to his work as an accomplished performer. He recently toured the U.S. in his original musical Kansas City Choir Boy starring alongside rock icon Courtney Love and starred in three of his original musicals at the famed Delacorte Theater in Central Park (The Tempest, The Winters Tale, and The Odyssey). His musical Girlfriend based on the Matthew Sweet album of the same title is a perennial favorite for theater companies around the country, and he is currently collaborating with producer David Foster on a new, original musical. He has previously collaborated with Sarah Ruhl (Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical), Jenny Schwartz (Iowa), Laura Benanti (In Constant Search for the Right Kind of Attention), Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (Twohander), Kelli OHara (Live at Carnegie Hall), and Andrew Rannells (Live from Lincoln Center). As a composer and orchestrator, Almond has written and arranged music for Noises Off! on Broadway, Iowa at Playwrights Horizons, Fucking A at Signature Theatre, and How to Transcend a Happy Marriage at Lincoln Center Theater, Kelli OHara Live at Carnegie Hall, and the recent film adaptation of Michael John LaChiusas Hello Again. Other New York acting credits include Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl at Playwrights Horizons, People Are Wrong at the Vineyard, Piece of Meat opposite Sherie Rene Scott, and Law and Order: SVU. Currently, Todd can also be seen starring in Gossip Girl on HBO Max. As a musical director, Almond tours with Laura Benanti and Judy Kuhn, and recently made his PBS debut with Andrew Rannells in Live From Lincoln Center.