Ring of Fire - The Music of Johnny Cash

Creator Richard Maltby Jr. and conceiver William Meade avoid the formulaic template of showbiz bios in this jukebox musical. What they've concocted instead is rather peculiar: a hodgepodge of disparate elements that ultimately amount to a revue of songs written by and/or sung by country-western entertainer Johnny Cash (1932–2003). The musical makes a half-baked effort to match projected images and fleeting snippets of dialogue and biographical narration with more than 30 songs—part of the time. At other times, the ambitious underpinnings seem to fade away, and a garden-variety songfest takes over. Though the overall effect is somewhat confusing, the music is evergreen, and the cast and onstage musicians offer stellar renditions.

The acclaimed 2006 film "I Walk the Line" offered a hard-hitting portrait of Cash's inner demons, but this show is largely an upbeat country hoedown, more Grand Ole Opry than Sturm und Drang soul-baring. Thankfully, four splendid performers (director Jason Edwards of the original Broadway cast, Troy Allan Burgess, Christa Jackson, and Kelli Provart) give the solos and group numbers all the energy, sass, and country attitude they need. The wonderful onstage musicians (Brantley Kearns, Jeff Lisenby, John W. Marshall, Tom Mason, Brent Moyer, and Mark San Filippo) also double as actors and singers, delivering scattered dialogue and periodically joining the four lead players in rousing choral renditions of such songs as "Folsom City Blues" and "I've Been Everywhere." Edwards and Burgess bring plenty of country-boy chutzpah to their songs. Each is tasked at one time or another with vaguely suggesting the Cash persona, but both performers avoid impersonation. Similarly, Jackson and Provart occasionally fill the shoes of Cash's beloved second wife, June Carter, allowing the music and lyrics to convey the connections, rather than via characterization or vocal imitation.

John Iacovelli's atmospheric set, dominated by a nifty country cabin, is impressive, as are Debra Garcia Lockwood's lighting design and Ambra King Wakefield's costumes. Lisenby's music direction and arrangements, along with orchestrations by Steven Bishop and Lisenby, are marvelous. Look past the show's odd structure, and there's much to enjoy in the rich musical legacy of one of the finest singer-songwriters in the country-western arena.

Presented by FCLO Music Theatre at Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton.
July 16–Aug. 1. Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. (Also Sun., 7 p.m., July 25 and Sat., 2 p.m., July 31.) (714) 879-1732. www.fclo.com.