Ring of Fire:
The Music of Johnny Cash
Created by Richard Maltby, Jr.
Conceived by William Meade
Directed by Brian Russell
at Theatre at the Center, Munster, IN (map)
thru March 30 | tickets: $40-$44 | more info
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A grand ol’ time
Theatre at the Center presents
Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash
Review by Kat Hey
It is true confession time. I am an old school country music fan. There! It’s out of my musical preference closet. I grew up listening to the greats of country music on shows like “Hootenanny” and yes, “Hee-Haw” as much as Soul Train or American Bandstand. At its roots it’s music from the heart of America, and Johnny Cash is the heart of country. Ring of Fire is a revue of the music of The Man in Black and his wife June Carter Cash.
Lewis plays the older and more seasoned Cash. His baritone is astounding, and he has the Cash vibrato without affect. He is mesmerizing in every move, from how he stands and sings or, more importantly, how Johnny Cash held his guitar. It is like a waltzing two step. The guitar is a part of his body language even when it is casually slung down and to the side. While the program notes claim that it was never their intention to impersonate Cash, Lewis seems to channel him effortlessly.
Unfortunately, the weak link in this show is Cory Goodrich (June Carter Cash). She has a pivotal role, and while her voice is a beautiful and ringing soprano, it is not made for country music. Her diction is Broadway perfect, and when she does affect the break or ‘country cry’, it comes off as affected. Her style works quite well in such songs as “Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart” and the wistful “I Still Miss Someone”. “Flushed” is a comical double entendre that shines as a spoof. She adds a beautiful harmony and melody to “Far Banks of Jordan”. However, when she sings on the great songs from June Carter Cash’s repertoire with Johnny such as title song “Ring of Fire”, it sounds dissonant in style. Her body language seems to imitate rather than emulate or give homage. Goodrich is perfect for more urbane fare, and I wonder whether it would have been better for her to just sing the role straight without trying to sound country. Her saucy version of “I’ve Been Everywhere” is such an example. It is madcap comedy at its best.
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Country music is at the root of it, much like soul music’s roots lying in gospel and the blues. It’s music that is deeply emotional and is unearthed from every day experiences. Cash drew on the experiences of tenant farming, poverty and losing a brother who was going to be a preacher. His experiences with the chain gang are riveting in the song “Going to Memphis”. Lewis gives a narrative as Goodman and Greg Hirte join him on harmony in a stirring rendition that portrayed the inhumane conditions of justice below the Mason Dixon Line. The song could be easily at home in a church on the South Side of Chicago as it was in Tennessee while toiling in the sun.
The band is perfect in Ring of Fire. All are ace musicians with a nimble touch for country rhythms. They have fun on the stage, making the show an experience worth the drive to Munster, Indiana. Malcolm Ruhl rocks the standup bass, slapping a solid beat and keeping the bottom notes rolling. Ruhl, Hirte, and Goodman do a hilarious “Egg Suckin’ Dog” that had the audience laughing. From my time spent in the South, I learned that an egg sucking dog is considered an economic blight and it was a quaint yet vivid reminder of life in a rural economy.
This show is an invitation to another cultural landscape where life, love, and death have a more visceral and carnal dimension. Johnny Cash sang about life unvarnished – regrets be damned. Ring of Fire is not a straightforward biography nor should it be. It’s a fun and sentimental reminder of a man and his genius at living and singing his life.
Rating: ★★★
Ring of Fire continues through March 30th at Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, IN (map), with performances Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2pm, Fridays and Saturdays 8pm, Sundays 2:30pm. Tickets are $40-$44, and are available by phone (219-836-3255) or online at Tickets.com (half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TheatreAtTheCenter.com. (Running time: 90 minutes, includes an intermission)
Photos by Michael Brosilow
artists
cast
Kent M. Lewis (Johnny), Cory Goodrich (June Carter Cash), Michael Monroe Goodman (Young Johnny), Malcolm Ruhl (musical director, band member), William Underwood (keyboard, asssociate music director), Greg Hirte (fiddle, mandolin, electric guitar), Billy Schaefer (band member)
behind the scenes
Brian Russell (director), Jeff Lisenby, Steven Bishop (orchestrations), William Pullinsi (artistic director), Richard Friedman (general manager), Ann N. Davis (production manager, technical director), Rebecca Green (stage manager), Angela Miller (scenic design), Shelley Strasser Holland (lighting design), Kevin Barthel (wig designer), Barry G. Funderburg (sound design), Brenda Winstead (costume design), Dellie Page (production assistant, floor manager), Michael Brosilow (photos)
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