WINNER of Best of Fest and HOKU Award 

at Maui Fringe 

 

Critical praise for Seeger

​

Orlando Sentinel

By: Matthew J. Palm

Randy Noojin reminds us about a lot of things in his highly enjoyable and informative one-man show “Seeger.”  Of course, he’s reminding us of Pete Seeger, that great American folk singer who died in 2014.  But he’s also reminding us of the power of music, the importance of following your conscience, the ability of one person to effect change and the constitutional freedoms we should never take for granted. Noojin doesn’t preach about any of that; it just comes through naturally and brilliantly in his tribute to the great troubadour. It’s the early 1980s — Ronald Reagan is a new president, who won by promising to Make America Great Again — and Seeger is performing at a fundraiser for the Foundation for U.S.-Cuban Normalization.  Noojin embodies the singer with an appealing quiet strength as he relates significant moments in his life, such as being targeted in the McCarthy-era Communist witch hunt, sings Seeger’s greatest hits — “If I Had a Hammer,” “Turn, Turn, Turn!” and more — and tells self-deprecating banjo-player jokes of the best dad-joke variety.  This isn’t just an entertaining stroll down memory lane for old-timers; there’s a strong contemporary message of courage and hope for activists of any age — especially those wearied by the unrest of the past few years.  As Seeger, Noojin exhorts the audience to sing out (We’re doing our best, considering we’re masked!) — but it’s just as powerful to feel the music touch your heart. “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” may be more than 60 years old, but it still packs an emotional punch.

 

TheaterLife.com*****

By: Paulanne Simmons

​

Pete Seeger may have been taken from us over two years ago, but Randy Noojin brings him so much to life in his solo show it seems as if the great singer and activist never died . . . should not be missed by anyone who loves Seeger or good music or our right and duty as Americans to stand up for justice.

​

HyReviews.com *****

By: Hy Bender

 

In all honesty, I'm not a fan of solo bio-musical shows. The chances of a non-celebrity doing justice to a superstar singer are tiny. I came to this show mostly because it happened to fit a slot in my Fringe schedule.

 

I was therefore blown away when Randy Noojin came on stage and effectively resurrected Pete Seeger. Not only is Noojin a dynamite folk singer who performs around a dozen Seeger classics, he's written a brilliant script that perfectly captures the spirit, personality, and passions of Pete Seeger.

 

There are thousands of creative decisions that go into a show. In virtually each case, Noojin has somehow managed to make the perfect choice. The result is not only the finest musical of the festival, but a stellar production ready for a commercial run as is.

​

Curtainup.com*****

By: Deirdre Donovan

​

Noojin disappears into Seeger's persona and whisks us back and forward in time through the American 20th Century.

 

No question that Noojin has the audience under a spell as he croons out the various songs and invites everybody to join in.  Anybody who is a Seeger fan should make a bee-line to wherever this song-fest is humming.

​

​

CHECK OUT THE NEW VIDEO