A free, 40-minute musical inspired by Woody Guthrie's life as a young father is about to roll through four boroughs, starting in Manhattan next week. Called Woody Guthrie's Songs to Grow On, the show follows four-year-old Cathy Ann Guthrie as she takes a cross-country road trip with her parents, retracing Woody Guthrie's real travels from California to the New York island and finding the courage to explore beyond her front door.
The production, created for children ages 2 to 5 and their families, is commissioned by New York City Children's Theater and directed by Susanna Brock, according to BroadwayWorld. Frank Ruiz wrote the original script, which draws on an unpublished manuscript by Woody Guthrie and his 1956 children's album Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child. Mike Lee plays Woody Guthrie, with Hannah Bakke and Becca Bernard rounding out the cast, and Colin Robertson and Lorenza Bernasconi serving as understudies, per the same report.
The show features live music, movement, imaginative play, and audience participation, along with Guthrie songs including “Howdi Do,” “Riding in My Car,” and “This Land Is Your Land.” Each performance is followed by an optional 45-minute interactive engagement facilitated by the cast, designed to encourage curiosity, empathy, bravery, and a sense of community, the outlet's report notes.
A Real Coney Island Family Behind the Story
The character at the heart of the show is based on a real child. Cathy Ann Guthrie was born in 1943 to Woody and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie and served as the primary creative muse for her father's children's songs, according to the Library of Congress. Her four-year-old observations were transcribed by Guthrie into notebook lyrics that formed the basis of his nursery repertoire, the same collection notes.
Guthrie wrote many of his original children's lyrics between 1943 and 1950 while living with his family at 3520 Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn, according to Woody Guthrie Publications, with the apartment serving as the place where he wrote family-centered songs while raising Cathy Ann. His 1956 children's album Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child was released by Folkways Records. Folkways founder Moses Asch recorded Guthrie's early children's material in New York.
Founder Says Guthrie's Music Still Resonates With Toddlers
Barbara Zinn Krieger, founder and artistic director of New York City Children's Theater, said Guthrie's music feels remarkably alive because he wrote about things children instinctively understand, per BroadwayWorld's report. Krieger founded the organization in 1996 under the name Making Books Sing, initially adapting children's literature into stage performances for young audiences across the five boroughs, according to Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. Before that, she established Manhattan's Tony Award-winning Vineyard Theatre and served as its executive director for 22 years, where she helped develop Pulitzer Prize-winning plays before shifting her focus to early childhood arts, the organization notes.
The tour marks the centerpiece of NYCCT's 30th anniversary season, which included an April 27 gala featuring a video presentation by Lin-Manuel Miranda and honoring Hamilton associate choreographer Stephanie Klemons, who previously directed and choreographed original NYCCT productions including Pinocchio, according to BroadwayWorld's earlier coverage.
Five Performances, Free Admission, Different Rules at the Door
The 30th anniversary tour encompasses five performances at five venues across four boroughs, according to BroadwayWorld's listings, with the free tour designed to reduce geographical and financial barriers for families across New York City. The tour begins September 26 in Manhattan at 10:30 a.m., with a second Manhattan performance scheduled for November 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the Children's Museum of Manhattan. A Bronx performance follows on September 27 at 3 p.m., a Queens performance is set for October 18 at 2:30 p.m. at the Queens Museum, and a Staten Island performance is scheduled for October 24 at 2:30 p.m. at the Staten Island Children's Museum, per BroadwayWorld's listings.
The Bronx date lands at the Bronx Music Hall, a $15.4 million venue that opened in October 2024 as the borough's first newly constructed independent music venue in more than 50 years, according to Empire State Development. Developed by WHEDco in the Melrose neighborhood of the South Bronx, the 14,000-square-foot space serves as a community cultural center, the state agency notes.
While the NYCCT performances themselves are free, admission requirements vary by presenting venue, and families should confirm registration requirements, museum admission policies, and final performance information with each partner organization, BroadwayWorld's report advises. The Queens Museum operates on a pay-what-you-wish basis, and families should consult the Children's Museum of Manhattan's visitor information, according to the venues' own visitor information from Queens Museum and Children's Museum of Manhattan. Parents planning to attend the free show should check each host site's own ticketing policy before heading out, since a free performance can still come with a museum admission fee attached.
