Following its world premiere in 2017, Girl from the North Country returns to The Old Vic for a strictly limited run. The musical sees a company of 23 actors and musicians bring the iconic songbook of Bob Dylan to life, in a production written by Irish playwright Conor McPherson.
We caught up with Steffan Harri who returns to the production and the role of Elias Burke to find out what it’s like to be bringing the show back to the London stage.
Q&A with Steffan Harri
What’s it like to be returning to Girl from the North Country?
Returning to this play after five years feels both nostalgic and incredibly rewarding. So much has changed in me as a person and performer since the first time I stepped into this role, and revisiting it now allows me to explore it with fresh insight and deeper emotional resonance. It’s a rare gift to have the chance to grow with a piece of theatre like this, and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with a story and character that still mean so much to me. It feels like coming home – but with a new perspective.
What can you tell us about the musical and your role?
Girl From the North Country is a powerful and poetic musical written and directed by Conor McPherson, featuring the songs of Bob Dylan. It premiered at The Old Vic in London in 2017 and has since played in the West End, on Broadway, and internationally.
Set in Duluth, Minnesota – Bob Dylan’s hometown – during the depths of the Great Depression in 1934, the story takes place in a run-down guesthouse run by Nick Laine, a man struggling to keep his family and home afloat. The musical weaves together the lives of several characters, all of whom are grappling with personal loss, secrets, and the hope for something better.
What sets this musical apart is how it uses Dylan’s songs like “Forever Young,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” and “Make You Feel My Love” – not as plot drivers, but as deeply emotional reflections of the characters’ inner worlds. The arrangements are beautifully reimagined to match the 1930s setting.
Elias Burke is one of the more enigmatic and tragic characters in the story. He is the adult son of Mr and Mrs Burke, a couple staying at the guesthouse. Elias is portrayed as having a developmental or cognitive condition – and communicates through gestures and expressions. Elias’s presence in the story is haunting and symbolic. While he says little, his emotional life is profound, and he often embodies themes of innocence, vulnerability, and being misunderstood or overlooked in a harsh world. His relationship with his mother is intense, and his fate becomes a heartbreaking and shocking moment in the show.
How do you approach a character like Elias Burke – and have you been reconsidering your perspective on them five years on?
Approaching a character like Elias Burke – a grown man with the mental age of a young child, who also has a vocally demanding song in ‘Duquesne Whistle’ – requires a sensitive and layered performance.
First and foremost, Elias must be portrayed truthfully and respectfully, not as a caricature or a clinical case. While he may have the cognitive or emotional development of a young child, he is a full human being with desires, fears, and inner life.
Firstly, I researched individuals with similar developmental profiles. I tried to observe not just behaviour but how they relate emotionally to the world and others.
I attempted to find the emotional truth of a four-year-old – curiosity, vulnerability, honesty, sensitivity – rather than mimicking physicality.
Elias isn’t “a condition.” He’s Elias. What makes him unique? What brings him joy? What upsets him? What comforts him?
Secondly, I started to explore Elias’ physicality. I explored how a person with the emotional awareness of a child but an adult body might move. I try to keep gestures simple, honest, and instinctual.
Elias may not speak much, but he sings, and I think of ‘Duquesne Whistle’ as his inner voice. The song becomes his soul speaking.
The lyrics are metaphorical and poetic, and I attempt to sing them with emotional honesty every night.
How does it feel to be making your Old Vic debut?
I feel incredibly privileged to be making my debut at The Old Vic. It’s a theatre with such a rich legacy – so many extraordinary artists have stood on that stage, and to now be a part of that history is both humbling and thrilling. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity, and I’m approaching every moment with real joy and respect for the space, the story we’re telling, and the people I get to share it with.
You’ve also performed in the West End in Les Miserables and Spamalot, and taken on the title role in Shrek The Musical – have those experiences shaped you as an actor and performer?
They’ve each shaped me in different and lasting ways. Performing in Les Misérables taught me the discipline and emotional depth that comes with being part of such an iconic and demanding show. Spamalot, on the other hand, gave me the freedom to play, to embrace spontaneity and comedy with confidence. And taking on the title role in Shrek The Musical was a real turning point—it challenged me physically and vocally, but also allowed me to lead a company and find real heart in a larger-than-life character. Each role has helped me grow, not just in skill, but in understanding how to connect with an audience and serve a story with honesty.
Girl From the North Country is at the Old Vic from 24 June to 23 August 2025
