Photo courtesy of Dave Alkire
For most of June. CATCO will honor the man whose music transcended musical genres and earned him reverence from people of all walks of life.
He won countless awards and honors throughout his life, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and has sold more than 90 million albums worldwide.
That man is Johnny Cash, and, despite his death in 2003, he continues to prove that “ain’t no grave” can hold his body (of music) down.
CATCO’s production Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash serves as a tribute to the Man in Black’s music rather than a biography of his life, that ground having been covered. The production is so chock-full of his music, in fact, that producing director and artistic director of Ring of Fire Steven Anderson doesn’t know exactly how many songs are included in the production.
“If you want to know the facts of Johnny Cash, watch (2005 biopic) Walk the Line, because that’s the job of that,” says Anderson. “What this has is the true celebration of his music.”
Amy Fritsche, an assistant professor of acting and musical theatre at Kent State University and a performer in Ring of Fire, say ticketholders of all types will enjoy the show, whether they’re longtime Cash fans or not.
“I love the music. It’s fun; there are some really funny songs,” says Fritsche, who plays a collective of the women in Cash’s life, including June Carter. “It’s the life of Johnny Cash told through his music, so if you love country music and you love Johnny Cash’s music, if you love musicians playing and performing, you’ll love the show.”
A unique aspect of CATCO’s production of Ring of Fire is that the entire show is performed by five actors, whose characters are unnamed but represent the important people in Cash’s life. Those five actors will also be tasked with performing the music in the show as well.
Fritsche learned how to play the autoharp, the instrument Carter played, just for Ring of Fire.
“This will be the first show that I’m playing music and acting in,” says Fritsche. “Right now, I’m probably putting more pressure on myself in my head than it’s going to be.”
Anderson decided on Ring of Fire as CATCO’s next production due to a personal history as a Cash fan. He hopes audiences will leave with a newfound appreciation for Cash and his music.
“Johnny Cash has always been a favorite of mine, so when I found this piece – which had a unique kind of homespun, organic flavor to it – it just had resonance for me,” says Anderson. “I hope that they walk away from this show saying, ‘Oh my God, I love Johnny Cash more than I ever realized I did.’”
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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