Photo Flash: First Look at Westport Country Playhouse's WOODY SEZ

"Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie," a summer '17 off-Broadway hit, will have a limited engagement at Westport Country Playhouse, January 9 - 20. The joyful, touching, and tumultuous tale of "America's greatest folk poet" is told using Guthrie's own words and over two dozen of his indelible songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," "Union Maid," "Deportees," and "This Train Is Bound for Glory."

A celebration of one of the giants of American music, "Woody Sez" is a story of struggle, activism, patriotism, and commitment. This musical portrait was first produced at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007, and has since played London's West End (2011 Evening Standard Best Musical nominee), and over 60 cities in the U.K., the U.S., across Europe, the Middle East, and China.

The four actors in the cast play more than two dozen acoustic instruments, including guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, jaw harp, harmonica, and dulcimer. Featured in the title role is David M. Lutken, the show's deviser, who won Helen Hayes and Joseph Jefferson awards for his performance. He also appeared in Broadway's "Inherit the Wind," "Ring of Fire," "The Civil War," and "The Will Rogers Follies." Other cast members include David Finch (Broadway's "Cabaret," regional theater's "Grapes of Wrath"), Katie Barton (regional theater's "Stand by Your Man," "Ring of Fire," "Hank Williams: Lost Highway"), and Leenya Rideout (Broadway's "War Horse," "Cyrano de Bergerac," "Company," "Cabaret"). Director and co-deviser is Nick Corley (off-Broadway/NY productions of "Tall Grass," "Flight" - Callaway Award nomination, "About Face" - NYMF best direction nomination).

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame calls Guthrie "the original folk hero; a man who, in the thirties and forties, transformed the folk ballad into a vehicle for social protest and observation and in so doing, paved the way for Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, his son Arlo Guthrie, and a host of other folk and rock songwriters who have been moved by conscience to share experiences and voice opinions in a forthright manner. Fueled by a boundless curiosity about the world, the colorful life he led became as legendary as the songs he wrote."

Performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m.

"Woody Sez" tickets are $35, $45, and $50.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).

Photo Credit: Peter Chenot

Leenya Rideout, Katie Barton, David M. Lutken (as Woody Guthrie), and David Finch

Katie Barton, David Finch, David M. Lutken (as Woody Guthrie), and Leenya Rideout