CENTENARY celebrations of Woodrow Wilson Guthrie's birth found a fitting tribute to the American folk singer in this short play – a biographical journey exploring the man's life and paying tribute to his music.
Through four talented actor-musicians, more than a dozen instruments (including banjo and spoons), and around 30 Guthrie penned songs an insight is given into a free-spirited character of conviction.
The piece's title comes from Woody's Daily Worker newspaper column but it is far more rounded than just an insight into his liberal leanings and social activism. His childhood was depicted especially poignantly, specifically his mother's illness and the tragic deaths of his sister, and then young daughter, which were dealt with sensitively and emotively by David M Lutken and Helen J Russell. Darcie Deaville was perhaps the musical dark horse with her fantastic fiddling and forte in flatpicking, while David Finch injected some welcome humour and a little bit of slapstick.
Providing musical inspiration to the likes of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, and protesting for the rights of the common man, the dustbowl troubadour's influence can still be felt today and his insights are still as pertinent. (The Jolly Banker song could have come straight out of some highly topical RBS headlines, for example). This Land Is Your Land and Worried Man Blues were highlights, although some of his more thoughtful ballads timeless and absolutely haunting.
With a lot of Woody's inspiration coming from the Great Depression, it's surprising how uplifting an evening it really was, thanks to the passion and talent on stage. An opening night standing ovation and – almost – a Celtic Connections sell-out means if you haven't got a ticket already, you're going to miss out.
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