The Ballad of Johnny and June at Wycombe Swan
The Ballad of Jonny and June – the Johnny Cash Musical – is currently touring the UK, and lands this week at the Wycombe Swan in High Wycombe. It tells the story of one of the brightest and most influential relationships in music – Jonny Cash and June Carter.
Christopher Ryan Grant brings the man in black to life on stage with a pitch perfect performance, embodying all all of Johnny Cash’s legendary swagger with a smooth velvet voice to match. He had the audience in the palm of his guitar picking hand… And musical instruments are a key part of the show – with the majority of the cast also picking up instruments ranging from guitars to auto harps throughout the show, and becoming part of the orchestra. It creates a warm and inviting show, which is expertly directed to use its talented triple threat cast to tell a story with passion in its heart.
June Carter Cash is portrayed by the inimitable Christina Bianco who has wowed audiences worldwide with her comic performances, musical moments and laugh out loud impressions. She’s a safe pair of hands for a role like this, and she totally excels in it – tackling even the most tongue-twisting of June Carter Cash’s songs with style.
Completing the lead line up, the wonderful Ryan O’Donnell as their son, John Carter Cash. His role as the omnipresent narrator means he rarely leaves the stage, and his role crescendos into something really rather moving as we move into the later part of the story – his stamina, singing voice and comic timing make John a character that it’s sometimes hard to keep your eyes off.
Steven Gordon-Wilson speaking to Ryan O'Donnell on Showtime
The three lead the piece, with a terrific supporting cast, all of whom really bring the stage to life. The scenery does a lot of heavy lifting as well – an intelligently and creatively designed set transports us from country ranch, to record studio, via a fishing lake and that legendary prison visit. All the while, evoking quintessential 1900s Americana.
A few production niggles distracted from the show – misaligned projectors, malfunctioning microphones, and even a brief show stop whilst they ironed out some gremlins – but such are the woes of touring theatre. They were handled with grace and didn’t hugely detract from the important bits – the first class performances of a story with true heart. We all left the theatre smiling, singing and knowing we’d seen something that would stay with us for a long time.
4*
Plays the Wycombe Swan until Saturday 16th May and then tours the UK – johnnyandjunemusical.com
