Weston Playhouse Theatre Company’s kicked off its 90th anniversary season with “Ring of Fire: the Music of Johnny Cash,” a jukebox musical that weaves a narrative of the troubled and joyous life of country music legend Johnny Cash. On opening night, the talented ensemble of actor/musicians reminded us how good music, performed well, can stir one’s emotions as well as get the joint jumping.
As conceived by William Meade and created by Richard Maltby, Jr., “Ring of Fire” was not exactly a linear rehashing of Johnny Cash’s hardscrabble beginnings in Tennessee, rise to stardom, troubled marriages, struggles with addiction, and triumphant prison concerts. Told in flashback by an older Johnny Cash, played by Larry Tobias, what beamed through was a self-awareness of the joys of performing but also the hurt fame can bring and did bring.
The evening began with cast member Emily Mikesell, alone onstage, hitting mournful notes on the fiddle, before the others joined her from the audience to croon the traditional “Wayfaring Stranger.” As a more mature June Carter Cash, Mikesell, possessed of a crisp alto, effectively conveyed the bad but also the good that goes along with standing by one’s man. Mikesell and Tobias also portrayed Cash’s parents, who experienced hard times but found comfort in family and each other.
Each member of the cast played several instruments and took turns on lead as different events in the singer’s life were dramatized. Seth Eliser portrayed the very young Johnny Cash with a boyish verve. Eliser later shifted gears with a quiet interpretation of “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down,” Kris Kristofferson’s musical ode to too many mornings after.
In one of the evening’s many highlights, Eliser (who doubled as Music Director) joined fellow cast members to deliver an affecting rendition by the entire cast of “In the Sweet Bye and Bye,” and an old Carter Family song: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” The tight harmonies of voices and instruments were a perfect meld.
Playing a variety of roles, Angel Lin as the young first wife of Johnny Cash, illustrated her character’s angst with a wistful rendition of “I Still Miss Someone.”
Allie Siebold, as the young June Carter smitten by Cash, treated the audience at the Grand Ole’ Opry to a charming little ditty: “Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart.” Siebold showed her character’s willingness to hitch her wagon to Cash in a lovely duet with Elisor of the classic Tim Hardin ballad: “If I Were A Carpenter.”
Tarif Pappu, in formal cowboy garb, manned the electric guitar to powerfully anchor other’s numbers. His tenor voice blended well with Larry Tobias and Seth Elisor, who added the bass/baritone sound for which Johnny Cash was so well known. Kudos to Director Susanna Gellart for resisting the temptation to let the cast capture well-known personalities with mimicry. For example, neither Tobias nor Eliser nor Pappu attempted to hold their guitars up high like Cash famously did. It all just worked to tell a tale worth telling.
“Ring of Fire” was not all heartache. Tguan Malinowski’s delightful choreography had the entire cast deftly moving about the stage. Johnny Cash’s greatest hits, such as “Folsom Prison Blues” and “A Boy Named Sue” and “I Walk the Line,” were part of an encore at the end of the evening. On a warm summer night, “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash,” was a more than welcome respite from the news and everyday concerns.
In 2021, Weston mounted this show outside, under a tent, to an audience dealing with a horrible pandemic. Patrons were reminded that masks were required when entering and exiting the tent area, as well as when using restroom facilities. Back then, Larry Tobias and Seth Eliser were members of a cast that entered on the back of a pick-up truck. Director Susanna Gellert remarked to me that given the circumstances, that production never received its due and that in the intervening years, audiences, having experienced so much, have changed too. They know that together, so much is possible.
Performances of “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash” continue through July 11 at the air-conditioned Walker Farm, just a stone’s throw north on Route 100 from Weston Village. For ticket information, call the WTC box office at (802) 824-5288 or visit its website at www.westontheater.org.
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