Hop a fast-rattler with Woody Guthrie for a rockin', reelin', sanctifying' ride through the Dust Bowl to California in search of WORK! Hear Woody teach, preach & beseech in his wry & witful style o' speech.
Woody rides a flat-wheeler from NYC to Oklahoma to play a fundraiser at a union meeting for striking miners in 1940. But, a miner has just been shot on the picket line by vigilantes, and now there are those in the audience who want to break the strike, or just pull up stakes.
Woody uses his hour show to try to convince them to stick together against corporate power.
Sing along for an hour and commune with the spirit, story and songs of America's great poet of the people and saint of the working man.
"Randy Noojin's Woody Guthrie is a revelation. He captures the spirit of the man like no others have done onstage. His Guthrie is not just some folksy cardboard caricature; we've seen enough of those. Noojin's Guthrie is ornery, pugnacious, sly, and driven by the twin forces of anger and love - a seething anger at the political and economic injustice he sees all around him and a bottomless love for his country and its people."- Will Kaufman, author of WOODY GUTHRIE, AMERICAN RADICAL
"Noojin delivers one of the delights of the fest . . . with aplomb, getting even an uptight New York crowd singing along . . . This is solid, entertaining work that should travel far and wide in these hard times, just like Guthrie himself." HUFFINGTON POST
"...impressive...offers a vivid portrait of Woody's ideas and music." Bob Sherman, Host of WOODY'S CHILDREN, WFUV-FM
"Noojin invests his show with topicality and urgency, rescuing it from mere homage and transforming it into a call for united action against the greed and selfishness of the rich . . . blows the dust off Guthrie's standards . . . restoring their sting and deepening their soulfulness." - BACKSTAGE.COM
" . . . launching into his adept performance of this engaging, pleasing play . . . Noojin's skill with the rural, storyteller's dialect is a constant delight . . . This is a great show for Guthrie fans and for those hearing these songs and stories for the first time." - NYTHEATRE.COM
"What an enjoyable performance! I can close my eyes and almost believe I'm in a union meeting where Woody Guthrie is the guest of honor." - Steve Suffet, American Folksinger
"I just have to tell EVERYONE to watch out for the next time Randy Noojin performs his one-man show. And if you're tired of one-man shows, this one isn't typical...Woody Guthrie is literally channeled into Randy and he brings you right into his world! And his musicianship is superb! He transformed the entire place into an old Union Hall and we felt totally a part of the fight for community and social justice...I mean, I really felt history bend and merge. It was amazing! " - Janet Bentley, Dramaturg/Director, www.janeturgy.com
"I was transported. It really worked for me and I hung on every word . . . a very good piece of work . . . bringing really precious things to people at a time they are so needed . . . I would like to see that message get to as many people as possible." - David Cogswell, author of CHOMSKY FOR BEGINNERS and ZINN FOR BEGINNERS, www.davidcogswell.com
See video clip at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfVijzpygPo
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
July 2012
Friday, July 13, 7 PM
East Meadow Library
1886 Front Street
East Meadow, NY 11554
Saturday, July 14, 3 PM
NYSSA
Adelphi University
September 2012
September 3 - 7
The Kitchen
Chattanooga, TN - Residency (various venues)
Tennessee Stage Company
Knoxville, TN
December 2012
Sunday, December 16, 3 PM
Port Washington Public Library
One Library Drive
Port Washington, NY 11050
RECENT SHOWS
Saturday, March 31, 2012 @ 8 PM
The Drilling Company
with
Elena Skye and Boo Reiners of Demolition String Band
236 W. 78th Street, NYC
www.drillingcompany.org
Saturday, February 18, 2012 @ 8 PM
PEOPLE'S VOICE CAFE
40 E. 35th Street (between Park and Madison), NYC
with
Elena Skye and Boo Reiners of Demolition String Band
Pay What You Can
www.peoplesvoicecafe.org
Wednesday, February 1, 7:00 PM
Manhattan Jewish Home
120 W. 106th Street, NYC
First produced in the
The New York International Fringe Festival, August 2011
Randy Noojin
as
Woody