'Woody Sez' Brings Folk Singer Woody Guthrie To Life

The great American folk and blues singer Woody Guthrie was born 100 years ago this coming July.

Guthrie came of age during the Great Depression, traveling with migrant workers from his native Oklahoma, and sang about it. The so-called Dust Bowl Troubador wrote hundreds of songs and ballads, and left behind a legacy of folk and blues that inspired a generation of singers — like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earl and Billy Bragg. He died young, at 54, from Huntington's disease, but now Guthrie's story and music are very much alive on stage.

The show "Woody Sez" has just opened at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. Four actors, who are also musicians, tell the story of the Depression, struggling migrant workers and of Guthrie's fascinating and often difficult life, mostly through his words and music. Actor and singer David Lutken, born in Texas, who now lives Louisiana, devised the show and plays Woody Guthrie.

"Woody Sez" plays at the American Repertory Theater from May 5 to May 26.

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