Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie, is an internationally celebrated musical built around the songs and writings of American folk icon Woody Guthrie.
If you’re a fan of Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash, then this is the show for you – a portrait of one of America’s defining folk voices.
Originally developed in the early 2000s, the show premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007 and has toured internationally with more than 80 productions worldwide – including a previous run in London’s West End, at the Arts Theatre.
Packed with live performances of Guthrie’s songs, woven together with stories drawn from his life, the uplifting production captures the highs, hardships and restless spirit that shaped one of America’s most influential folk musicians.
Born in 1912, the show follows Guthrie’s travelling years: from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression through to Union halls, radio broadcasts, his wartime service with the Merchant Marines in North Africa, Sicily and the UK, his life in New York, and his tragic demise from Huntington’s Disease in 1967.
Performed by a cast of four actor-musicians playing more than twenty instruments between them, Woody Sez combines live music and storytelling with the raucous and heartfelt intimacy of a folk music session.
The cast (which appears to have been the same for twenty years) feels like a family. David M. Lutken reprises the role of Guthrie with Darcie Deaville, Helen Jean Russell and Andy Tierstein. Each of these performers are some of the most talented people I have ever seen on stage. They don’t just play every instrument; they seem to be channelling sound through themselves. I have never been so transfixed and awe-inspired by musicians in my life and I recommend seeing the show just for that.
Instruments pass between performers throughout as the cast move between narration, character and song, collectively evoking the communities and travelling culture that shaped Guthrie’s world. The show becomes a moving and exhilarating shared musical experience, balancing moments of humour, spontaneity and joy with the hardship, restlessness, tragedy and hope that informed both his life and writing.
If you don’t know who Woody Guthrie was, this is your chance to find out. One of the best shows I saw at this year’s fringe and the good news for Londoners is that it is coming to Underbelly Boulevard Soho 8th–19th September 2026. Please do take a chance on this amazing show.
★★★★★
Reviewed by West End Wilma
Read other reviews I have written of Edinburgh Fringe shows over the years
