Fun, full of joy and filled with nostalgia, The Ballad of Johnny and June is a celebration of love, rebellion and two people who are bound by music.
Told through the eyes of their son, John Carter Cash, this new musical brings the definitive story behind the legends – Johnny Carter and June Cash – to the stage.
As John Carter, Ryan O’Donnell plays the perfect Emcee role – leading and guiding this production with pure skill. He is an absolute gem to watch on stage with an irresistible stage presence, formed through these little moments of audience interaction, which makes him this reliable narrator that we can trust, forcing us to become more invested in the love story of his parents.
There are some moments in this production where O’Donnell multi-roles as narrator, then actively playing a part in the way that the story is portrayed on stage. This device is used twice, and one of them works a little better than the other.
Within Act 1, O’Donnell narrates both Johnny and June’s childhood lives, helping us gain an understanding of how they both found a love and passion for music. They approach Johnny’s story in a way that consists of ‘Younger Johnny’ being represented by a spotlight on stage with O’Donnell acting as the character.
Whilst, in theory, this device of having John Carter narrate and act out his father’s childhood is a nice touch, this moment could have been a lot stronger if it was Johnny acting as the character with the spotlight rather than his son.
This device is used again in Act 2, during John Carter’s early years, and comes off a lot stronger in this iteration as it felt a lot more of a seamless transition.
Christina Bianco is a pure joy to watch on stage. She takes you on a journey as June with a portrayal that is filled with heart yet also isn’t afraid to delve into the deeper, more vulnerable side of the character. You are able to see the mental toll that the music industry has on June and how she’s spent all her life trying to make other people happy and how much that’s impacted her life.
Christopher Ryan Grant as Johnny Cash delivers a strong performance. Similar to Bianco, you are able to see the multiple different levels to his character – the ‘showman’ aspect of his persona, the ‘little boy’ who is still desperate to please his parents and then the breakdown at the end of Act One of the taking of the pills and the turmoil that being a musician can have on a person’s mental state.
Aside from the three main performances, there’s a supporting cast of 6 alongside a full band. Within that, at various points of the show, the supporting cast and the three leads each play different musical instruments – moments which are just beautiful to watch!
The staging had a very rustic and country feel to it with a multi-purpose use to it where everything had a purpose and was used in multiple different scenarios. Additionally, lighting was used to spotlight key moments and shift seamlessly between different locations, which just worked so well.
At times though, the pace felt a little slow with both Acts taking a little while to get started. However, the attention in the room was grabbed instantly by the purposeful use of Johnny and June’s back catalogue of music and also some original music, helping to bring about this sense of nostalgia and progress the story.
‘The Ballad of Johnny and June’ is a solid new musical with some lovely moments and a wonderful company of actors – in particular the three leads. Whether you’re a fan of country music or not, you are just bound to have a good time and be lost in one of the greatest love stories in music history.
‘The Ballad of Johnny and June’ is playing at The Lowry Theatre until Saturday 13 June, book tickets here.
★★★★
