1000 Islands PLayhouse: Ring of Fire – the music of Johnny Cash more spectacle than theatre.
Scheduled for a month-long run as a result of popular demand, Ring of Fire is a production which one would naturally expect much from. Indeed, the musical by Richard Maltby Jr. and William Meade, billed as a celebration of the life and work of prolific American musician Johnny Cash, features numerous songs by him. This production at TIP, under the direction of Brett Christopher (also the artistic director of the theatre itself), certainly starts promisingly. The cast of six actors step out onto the impressive, encompassing set and begin Cash’s story with the origins of his family name in Scotland. The relaying of the journey of Cash’s ancestors is done with a lively echo effect as each of the cast take their turns at speaking. The song immediately following, “Country Boy”, is performed equally energetically. …