Because I knew three people in the small cast, because I'm a big fan of Woody Guthrie's music, and because I've felt that over the years I've not attended live theater in Grand Rapids Mi nearly often enough, we went to see a delightful performace last evening.
Staged in an intimate setting with large screen slide shows at either side of the state to provide context, this show was fun, moving, troubling, laugh out loud funny, well up with tears touching all at the same time.
With a small but very talented cast telling stories about Woody's travels, passions and music, wrapped around many songs (most that I was not familiar with) had us leaving the theater with a warm glow and a lot to talk about.
The relevance of the lyrics has not diminished over the decades, they still address aspects of modern society that can be a source of head scratching. The harmonies were rich, the voices strong. A wonderful quartet playing a wide variety of string instruments add to the fun. Themes of job loss, foreclosure, big business vs. worker issues could be taken from today's headlines.
The cast includes: Annie Beals, Glen Danles, Keenan Foley, Tim Foley, Amy Standel, and G.M. "Bud" Thompson.
Tickets are available for Friday and Saturday evening performances and Sunday's finale matinee. Call the box office at 616-234-3946.
After the show we enjoyed some wine and small plates at Corez- but that's totally another post. Stay tuned.
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