Created by: Richard Maltby
Company: Denver Center Theatre Company
Venue: Denver Center for the Performing Arts,
The Stage Theater, Denver CO
Date of Performance: Sunday, March 25, 2012
Website: The Denver Center Theater Company
Those who must see this show
include 1) Johnny Cash fans, 2) fans of classical country music, 3) fans of
musicals, and 4) all the rest of us.
I haven’t been mistaken lately for number 1, 2, or 3. Even so, I enjoyed this production
immensely.
This is one of those musical
hybrids; it’s not exactly a concert and not exactly a traditional musical. There is a story, but it’s bare bones
and doesn’t tell us much we didn’t already know about The Man in Black. That’s fine; Cash’s music can easily
carry the show regardless of the storyline.
The cast doesn’t have
characters; it has “principals” and an “ensemble.” That’s because there is no defined Johnny Cash character on
stage…the principals take turns singing and playing his music. It’s an interesting approach. The show is not about impersonating
Cash. It’s about bringing his
music to life with different voices.
In truth, the “principals”
and the “ensemble” form a seamless group of musicians, singers, dancers, and
actors making the Cash classics meaningful again. It has to be said; there is a wealth of talent on this
stage. There’s not a vocal,
instrumental, or acting weakness in any part of the show…never even a single
note out of place. It’s exactly what
Cash would have wanted: a toe
tapping, foot stomping celebration of the man and his music. All the hits are there: “Ring of Fire,” “If I Were a
Carpenter,” “Five Feet High and Rising,” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “I’ve Been
Everywhere,” “Cry, Cry, Cry,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line”…well,
you get the idea. Johnny Cash’s Greatest
Hits.
All the technical parts here
work well; the sound/light design produced the best indoor thunderstorm I’ve
ever experienced. Costumes (or is
it clothes?) make the man, and The Man in Black was decked out just as we
remember him.
The music is great, but I
think the real strength of this production is the careful, if sparse, narration
of Cash’s story. It’s the classic
American success story: rags to
riches starring a flawed hero who dealt with his demons every day of his
life.
When Cash was young, he lost
a brother to an accident involving a power saw. The Mississippi River flooded their farm and forced the
family to flee. Pulled back from
the brink by a Federal Rural Relief Program, the family got 20 acres, a home, a
barn, and a mule for nothing down and no payment until the first crop was
in. These were very humble
beginnings for a guy who rose to the top of his field, and they make for a
compelling narrative to the music.
So for me, this show was an
unqualified success. I fully
recommend it to any and all who want a couple of hours of rocking entertainment
about a guy who is an American original.
It’s a couple of hours you will totally enjoy.
NOTE: This is a family show, and is
recommended for children ages 6 and up.
The Denver Center encourages families to attend together.
This show runs through May
13, 2012.
Director:
Jason Edwards
Principals:
Trenna Barnes
Troy Burgess
Jason Edwards
Kelli Provart
Musician/Ensemble:
Brantley Kearns (fiddle,
guitar)
Jeff Lisenby (keyboards,
accordion)
Brent Moyer (guitars,
coronet)
John Marshall (bass fiddle)
Walter Hardman (drums)
John Foley (guitar,
mandolin, harmonica, dobro)
Designers:
Set Design
by John Iacovelli
Costume Design by Kevin Copenhaver
Lighting Design by Charles R. MacLeod
Sound Design
by Craig Breitenbach
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