By Margaret Freelon, NDG Special ContributorWho has not heard Johnny Cash’s “I been Everywhere” or “A Boy Named Sue”? The play Ring of Fire offers a great showcase of his music, but it does not feature Johnny himself. Instead, it features five performers celebrating Cash’s music. Their performances rang true, leaving the audience remembering why they loved his music so much. The small intimate space at the Watertower enhanced the experience of learning more about Cash’s life through his music.
The play, along with the music, brings you into Cash’s life from being a country boy in Arkansas, to a working man trying to break into the music world in Memphis. Then it shows the wear and tear of a hard-living musician on the ride more than 300 days of the year before closing with spiritual redemption.
This production of the musical contains 35 of Cash’s songs spanning from 1955 – 2002. They include “Five Feet High and Rising,” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “I’ve Been Everywhere,” and two of Cash’s signature songs, “Boy Named Sue” and “Folsom Prison Blues”
Once again the WaterTower Theatre has done a great job of bringing a live intimate theatre experience to Metroplex art lovers. Ring of Fire is on stage tonight before closing on Sunday. Tickets and details are at Watertowertheatre.org
