You don’t need to be a folkie to love Guthrie show
High-energy show is likely to charm even people who aren’t fans.
If you’re a fan of 20th-century protest troubadour Woody Guthrie, you’re bound to love Palm Beach Dramaworks’ production of “Woody Guthrie’s American Song.”
But even if you’re not, this highenergy show is likely to charm you.
Peter Glazer, who conceived and adapted the show, embeds Guthrie’s songs in moving narratives gleaned from his writings. Jeff Waxman’s varied arrangements keep things interesting.
The musical has a timely message, too. As Guthrie says in the show,u nless we hear the songs “of all the people everywhere, we are most apt to lose the peace and this world along with it.”
Singers Jeff Raab, Sean Powell, Cat Greenfield, Don Noble and Julie Rowe play multiple characters and instruments. They’re phenomenally talented actormusicians who take what’s on t hepageand run with it.
Joshua, Michael and Tom Lub- ben, of The Lubben Brothers band, back them with a smokin’ accompaniment and blend into the scenes. All are artfully guided by director Bruce Linser and musical director Powell.
The show progresses in chronological order, with Guthrie, played by Raab as a young man, Powell as a mature man and Noble
as an older man, stepping into the scenes to narrate.
Guthrie, who lived from 1912 to 1967, wrote about the effects of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, labor strikes, immigration policy and other history-shaping forces on ordinary people.
The first act is more engaging than the second, primarily because the stories are stronger. Melancholy tunes such as “Dust Storm Disaster” and “Dust Bowl Refugee” bring to life farmers driven off their land by the weather and heartless bankers. The propulsive “Bound for Glory” is set in a train full of desperate migrants seeking a living in California.
The second act, when the footloose Guthrie settles in New York for a while, isn’t as personal. A notable exception is “Ludlow Massacre,” a song about a deadly miners strike with gorgeous a capella harmonies and a striking stage picture featuring a line of soldiers.
In a universally strong cast, two stand out. Greenfield has a lovely bluegrass voice custom-made for plaintive songs. Noble, whose voice has a vast range, commands the stage in any role, whether he’s playing a defeated migrant, smug businessman or Guthrie.
Take a chance on this show. You’ll leave the theater humming.