Ring of Fire
Phoenix Theatre Company, Central United Methodist Church,
Phoenix, AZ, March 12, 2021
Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards
Director Scott Weinstein, who directed Million Dollar Quartet for the Phoenix Theatre Company in 2018 and 2019, says of Johnny Cash, “his music never intended to tell a chronological story, but in this show it happened organically.” Actors Gregg Hammer and Alex Crossland take turns portraying Cash. Hammer is a veteran of many national tours including Million Dollar Quartet. He is the mature Cash, vocally best suited to the material. He also supplied fine musicianship on guitar and banjo. The younger Crossland on lead guitar seamlessly wove in and out of the story.
The revue spanned Cash’s life, from his roots in an Arkansas schoolroom to his passing, using the metaphor of the train ride. The cast also included the extraordinary acoustic bass talents of Austin Case and two of PTC’s favorite singer/actors: Cassie Chilton and Michelle Chin. Chilton, with the stronger of the voices, also played violin, mandolin, and guitar. She soloed on a forgettable song, “I Still Miss Someone,” which Cash wrote with his brother Roy. She pulled at our heartstrings, however, portraying Cash’s first wife, who was left behind as his fame rose. Chilton had another chance to shine with both Crossland and Hammer on “I Walk the Line.” Chin was featured on all the songs that Cash sang with June Carter, and grew from the young, wacky “Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart” (Jack H. Clement) to the aging wife singing “Waiting on the Far-Side Banks of Jordan” (Terry Smith). She played a variety of percussion instruments including the washboard. She was especially strong on the duet “If I Were a Carpenter” (Tim Hardin). She reminded us that June loved him “in spite of himself.”
The cast sang, danced, and played in perfect harmony with the confident stage presence we have come to expect from PTC. Ring of Fire made sure to “cash” on in the hits, including the title song, which June Carter wrote with Merle Kilgore, “Jackson” (Jerry Leiber & Billy Edd Wheeler), and Cash’s songs “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Man in Black,” and “I Walk the Line.”
Bravo to all of the designers including video designer, Dallas Nichols. The projections ranged from the ethereal to the realistic. “Two Feet High and Rising” brought down a hailstorm. The years 1962 through 1967 took us cross country, brilliantly led to one of the best songs—“I’ve Been Everywhere” (Geoff Mack). The next number, “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down” (Kris Kristofferson), wrapped up in one song the struggles that Cash had with drugs, poignantly acted and sung by Hammer—“Pills come in all colors.” He confesses, “I’ve hurt a lot of people,” which is why he related to the prisoners at Folsom and from Folsom, Hammer took the audience straight into “Man in Black.” When Hammer as Cash crosses to his final station he is face to face with his reflection sung to his first hit with Sun Records, “Hey Porter.” He gets on board and the show closes with an encore of “A Boy Named Sue” (Shel Silverstein) and a reprise of “Jackson.”
PTC continues its season in the Central United Methodist Church Outdoor Venue which observes all Covid-19 CDC protocols. The next musical cabaret on the docket is My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra opening Wednesday, April 14 and running through May 23.
