ATC's 'Ring of Fire' glows with Johnny Cash tunes

Johnny Cash fans will be in heaven with Arizona Theatre Company’s production of “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash.”

Theater fans? They may say “meh.”

The reason: “Ring” is not a play. It is most definitely a revue. Oh, there were bits and pieces of Cash’s life thrown in, but this was all about the music.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

In fact, there is much that is right about this production.

Those songs, of course.

And the musicians astounded.

On Friday’s opening, John W. Marshall banged on, caressed and plucked his stand-up bass with abandon and expertise. His solo at the beginning of the second act had the audience hootin’ and hollerin’ for more.

Then Walter Hartman stepped in with a banged up pail and banged it up more, creating a percussionist symphony. Fiddle player Brantley Kearns looks older than the other cast members and more frail, but when he tucked his fiddle under his chin, it was clear there was nothing frail about him. The band was packed with talent, and played with precision.

The musicians don’t stand back on this set — they are an integral part of the 10-piece ensemble, singing and dancing along with the principals.

And those principals — who also played guitars at time — gave full voice to the music. Brian Mathis as the older Cash, and Michael Monroe Goodman as the younger, shaped and gave life to the songs without attempting to imitate the Man in Black. OK, it was a tad distracting that Mathis looked a tad like Glen Campbell, but it did not take away from his way with a song. Allison Briner-Dardeene and Trenna Barnes had voices that reached out and embraced the audience.

The nice surprise to this production is that it’s not a greatest hits show. Some lesser-known songs, such as Cash’s “Get Rhythm” — the B side to “I Walk the Line” — and “Tear Stained Letter” from 1971 got the same impressive treatment as “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Jackson.”

Perhaps the most poignant moment in the show was early in the first act. We have just learned that Cash’s brother died in a work accident, and the whole ensemble sings a moving spiritual. The original director and star of the show, Jason Edwards, died unexpectedly late last year shortly after the play finished a run in Vero Beach, Florida. Much of this cast is the same, and Randal Myler, who stepped in to take over the direction, was a good friend of Edwards. It was obvious that the beautiful rendition of “In the Sweet By and By” resonated deeply with the cast, as it did with the audience.