Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie

Woody Sez is a four-piece musical biography of Woody Guthrie, with the storytelling and music woven together to tell a complex and winding life. The musicians do not simply accompany the narrative; they switch between instruments, characters and roles with the kind of practised efficiency that makes the whole thing look considerably easier than it presumably is.

The performance is very polished. The musicians are excellent, and the lead performer is both charismatic and completely in control. The storytelling has real intricacy without becoming cumbersome, which is no small achievement given the amount of ground the show has to cover.

The limitations are mostly in the production itself. The set is very minimal and the tech and staging are similarly limited. But the performers compensate for that lack of spectacle through sheer craft. It is the musical storytelling that does the heavy lifting here, and it does so very well.

A beautifully played, carefully constructed piece of musical biography.

Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie by Underbelly and Woodrow Theatricals. Credit Wendy Mutz.