In Girl from the North Country, Bob Dylan’s songs fuelled a tale of 1930s America. Todd Almond, who starred in the play on Broadway, revisits one of its most electrifying numbers in this extract from his oral history of the show

Todd Almond (actor in Broadway transfer): The song Like a Rolling Stone arrives at the end of Act One of Girl from the North Country, and although different from the majority of the show’s songs in that it was a recognisable Dylan hit, it stands as a great example of how the music functions in the show overall.

Shirley Henderson (sang the song in the original London production): I knew some of the songs but I had never listened to them the way I finally listened to them. That sweetness that was brought out. The melodies are so beautiful but you don’t always hear it because of the style of the singing. To have been able to work with this material and discover the beauty of the songs and the stories they tell, I have such huge respect for it. I have come to it a bit late in life and I came with no preconceptions but I have been moved by the brilliance of Bob Dylan.