The bright lights of Broadway will shine Tuesday on Baton Rouge for “Ring of Fire,” a musical based on the songs of Johnny Cash.
The production is part of the Union Program Council’s Great Performance Theater Series and will show at the Union Theater at 8 p.m.
Created by Tony Award winner John Maltby Jr., the musical is centered around the life of “The Man in Black.” However, the production is not merely a dramatized biography like the popular movie “Walk the Line.”
“I have complete faith that although we do not dramatize Johnny Cash’s life, by the end of the show the audience will feel that they have spent the evening in the presence of an extraordinary and real man,” Maltby said.
“Ring of Fire” features 38 songs from the long and diverse career of Cash. The production falls into the genre of jukebox musicals: productions whose scores are composed of previously released songs by popular artists.
“It’s not traditional that people know the songs before hearing them on stage,” said Jacob Brumfield, program director of the Union Program Council. “People know these songs, and their grandparents know these songs.”
Not only does his music appeal to different ages, Brumfield said, but the diversity of the songs appeals to different tastes in music.
Songs such as “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Jackson” spring to mind at the mention of Cash’s name, but June Carter was not the only duet partner he ever had.
The Clash lead singer Joe Strummer and Cash recorded a duet of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” for Strummer’s last album before his death.
Cash’s last music video was a cover of “Hurt” by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. This popular rendition can be heard in “Ring of Fire.”
Those are just two examples in a long list of popular musicians from various decades and genres that Cash collaborated with.
“Putting that on stage and trying to make stories out of it is just an amazing concept,” said Brumfield.
Political science sophomore Kristian Havard is the chair of Lively Arts, the UPC committee responsible for bringing “Ring of Fire” to the University.
She said the production will reach people that normally would not attend a musical.
“People who love musicals are going to like it, but people who aren’t necessarily inclined to go to the theaters will enjoy it because everyone can relate to his music,” Havard said.
Mass communication sophomore Lauren Lambert said she is a fan of musicals and that creating a story based on Cash’s songs is a good idea.
“It’s definitely good to be open to others’ interpretations of art,” she said.
Brumfield is a longtime fan of Johnny Cash, “since playing his 45 [LP] records when I was a kid, to now when I watch him on YouTube.com videos.”
“I never got to see him in real life, so this is probably going to be a great experience for those of us who missed seeing him in concert,” he said.
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Contact Lauren Walck at [email protected]