The life and work of one of the country’s greatest and most admired folk balladeers is celebrated in the musical revue
Woody Guthrie’s American Song
, which Palm Beach Dramaworks will present this summer from July 13 – August 5 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre. There will be a specially priced preview on Thursday, July 12.
Bruce Linser
will direct.
The show, conceived by
Peter Glazer
and orchestrated by
Jeff Waxman
, had its world premiere in 1988 at the American Stage Festival in Milford, NH. It has since been seen at scores of theatres across the United States and earned numerous awards and countless accolades. The
Boston Globe
called it “a dazzling, dizzying explosion of Guthrie’s genius,” and the
Seattle Times
raved that it is “an exuberant musical celebration of our nation, our history, and our shared humanity.”
Guthrie was a wandering minstrel and poet of the downtrodden, the voiceless, the powerless, and the forgotten. He was a humanist who railed against injustice, particularly during the Great Depression, but also extoled the splendors of this country, especially in his most famous song, “This Land is Your Land.” That is among the more than two dozen numbers sung during the course of the evening, which also includes “Bound for Glory,” “Grand Coulee Dam,” “Nine
Hundred Miles,” “Pasture of Plenty,” “Union Maid,” and “Hard Travelin’.”
Guthrie’s work had a powerful influence on subsequent generations, and remains strong to this day. Bob Dylan, whose “Song to Woody” appeared on his debut album, wrote in his memoir,
Chronicles: Volume One
, that Guthrie’s works “had the infinite sweep of humanity in them.” He went on to say, “I could sing all these songs, every single one of them and they were all that I wanted to sing. It was like I had been in the dark and someone had turned on the main switch of a lightning conductor.”
Woody Guthrie’s American Song
keeps that light glowing.
Cast and design team will be announced at a later date.
