The incredible journey of a musical from potential disaster to success, and the Broadway industry that managed to stay alive during the pandemic shutdown of 2020-22.
Despite historic, seemingly insurmountable setbacks of four openings, Bob Dylan and Conor McPherson's musical Girl from the North Country became a critical 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 future American classic.
Opening on Broadway in the middle of an unprecedented moment, Slow Train Coming is a book about pressing on in the face of extreme adversity. Todd Almond's behind-the-scenes oral history weaves his personal first-hand account of starring in the show with exclusive interviews and reflections from fellow cast members and the creative team.
Together they follow the show from its beginnings at New York's 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 the 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, this book is both an inside look at a perilous moment of one of America's proudest institutions, Broadway, and a true story of American grit and determination lived by the company of this quirky musical-that-could.
Slow Train Coming is both for those who love Bob Dylan and for those who love Broadway. An oral history of the Dylan musical
Girl from the North Country, this first-hand behind-the-scenes accounts documents what it takes to build a new commercial musical against the backdrop of a pandemic.
Arvustused
Todd Almonds fascinatingly detailed examination of the recent Broadway staging of the musical Girl from the North Country could not be published at a better time. Although Conor McPhersons play was not about Dylan himself, its use of his songs was crucial to its success, and Almonds book ... has a similarly quixotic, rebellious spirit at its heart. * The Observer * Almond delivers a textured portrait of musical theatres relevance that probes deeper questions about arts power to connect and inspire. * Publishers Weekly * Todd Almond is one of our best and brightest songwriters. I look forward to anything that comes out of his brain. * Lin-Manuel Miranda * It is a book for anyone interested in musical theatre and how that and all the other performing arts were so nearly crippled by Covid. It is a souvenir of that time. * Americana UK * Todd Almonds story would have been worth telling in normal times, but, as a result of unprecedented circumstances, has become quite extraordinary. Not only does this book document the life (or, more accurately, lives) of an exceptional show, but it also doubles as a chronicle of an unforgettable time. * British Theatre Guide * An extraordinary oral history of the making of a modern musical masterpiece Musical obsessives and Dylanologists will find plenty to interest them in this one-of-a-kind look behind the curtain. * Buzz Magazine * Todd Almond might just be the biggest star you havent met yet. A multi-hyphenate, he sings like an angel, composes like a whiz, and now hes written a beautifully human book that captures a historic moment in the theater. Almond describes from the inside what it was like to be expelled from Broadway during a year of pandemic suspended animation, and takes us into the transcendent nature of performance before and after the shutdown. Theater lovers will inhale this book and recognize themselves in it. Give this book as a gift to yourself, or to your Bob-Dylan-loving best friend. * Sarah Ruhl * I love this book. With the multiple perspectives of an oral history, and the unguarded self examination of a very personal diary, Todd Almond has written a compassionate and original monograph on a distinctly original musical/theatrical creation - meticulously detailing the trajectory of its surprising, often tortuous evolution to its ultimate achievement. * Kevin Kline * The book every theater lover has been hoping for. Todd details with humor and heartache the one time the show could not go on. A delectable book.. * Mary-Louise Parker * Presented as an oral history, with Almonds own recollections tying together interviews with those who worked on the show from inception to Broadway, the book captures the intimacy and intensity of the whole experience. * Record Collector * Fascinating Slow Train Coming provides a rare insight into the very process of theatre itself. * The Irish Times * [ A] fascinating study of the difficulties faced by the theatre industry during the pandemic. * Business Post * Its full of interesting facts, engaging anecdotes, insights into the theatre world and its mysterious ways a valuable behind-the-scenes picture of the chaos that Covid caused in the theatre The jewels are there for the intrepid reader to find. And the jewels, once found, are very shiny. * Irish Independent * This books chatty and open style is a fascinating companion to the cast recordings and stage productions A lively book with a large heart, full of love for the theatre and whatever it represents. * Lou Reviews Blog *
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Slow Train Coming is both for those who love Bob Dylan and for those who love Broadway. An oral history of the Bob Dylan and Conor McPherson musical Girl from the North Country, this first-hand behind-the-scenes account documents what it takes to build a new commercial musical against the backdrop of a pandemic.
List of Illustrations
Prologue
Part 1
Heaven
Lafayette
Downtown
Part 2
42nd Street
44th Street
Hospital
The Real World
The New World
Epilogue
Afterword
Works Cited
Permissions
Index
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 US 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.
