Johnny Cash lives in Florida Rep musical 'Ring of Fire': 5 things to know

“I Walk the Line.” “Get Rhythm.” “I’ve Been Everywhere.” “Folsom Prison Blues.” And, of course, "Ring of Fire.”

You’ll find those songs and about 30 more Johnny Cash hits in Florida Repertory Theatre’s new jukebox musical, “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash.”

The Fort Myers show tells the story of the Man in Black mostly through his songs — iconic country standards that still resonate today, two decades after Cash’s death in 2003.

“It’s like a celebration,” says director Jason Parrish. “It’s a celebration of the music and a celebration of his contribution. And it sort of tells his story along the way.”

The musical opens Friday, March 24, and continues through April 23. Here’s what you need to know about “Ring of Fire.”

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“Ring of Fire” is more like a concert than a straight musical

Love Johnny Cash’s songs? That’s a good thing, because this show is absolutely packed with them.

The musical’s 33 songs include everything from ‘50s and ‘60s hits “Get Rhythm,” “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues” to ‘90s comeback tunes “Delia’s Gone” and “I’ve Been Everywhere.”

“I think there’s something like 20 songs in the first act, alone,” Parrish says.

The show has some dialogue, and the singers/actors represent the late Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, at various stages in their lives, such as fighting addiction, falling in love and flipping off the Nashville music establishment.

Most of the story, however, is told through Cash's country, gospel and bluegrass songs. "Folsom Prison Blues" takes on his prison experiences; "Cocaine Blues," his drug problems; "The Old Rugged Cross," his Christian faith; and "Ring of Fire," his love affair with June Carter Cash.

“It starts in Arkansas with his childhood, and you sort of hear the music that made him,” Parrish says. “And then we go into the stuff he’s really known for, the contemporary stuff, the prison tours. So there’s a little bit of everything.”

Actor Matt Cusack’s favorite songs are the ones he performs with the character June Carter Cash, including “Jackson” and “If I Were A Carpenter.”

“A lot of Johnny’s stuff is pretty serious and dark," Cusack says. "And it seems like June was kind of like the light in his life, so those songs are fun and they’re playful.”

Everyone plays musical instruments in “Ring of Fire”

The five-member cast is made up entirely of actor/musicians. So they’re acting. They’re singing. And they’re playing a variety of musical instruments onstage, too.

“We all kind of cover a bunch of different instruments,” says Cusack, who plays young Johnny Cash and also serves as the show’s music director. “When we were going through the casting process, versatility was of the utmost importance. …

“That means everybody’s got to wear multiple hats, and I’m pretty sure everybody plays everything at some point. … I think everybody had to play four or five different instruments.”

That’s why the Arcade Theatre stage is scattered with musical instruments for the show, including drums, acoustic and electric guitars, a dobro, a piano, an upright double bass, an autoharp and two banjos. Plus four harmonicas tucked away in the actors’ pockets.

“When people walk in, they’ll see instruments everywhere, chairs hanging on the walls, instruments hanging on the walls,” Parrish says. “Because I didn’t want this play to stop.

“I want this to keep moving. So it just moves seamlessly from one thing to the next.”

The actors are even busier than usual

Most productions of “Ring of Fire” have eight, 10 or more actors. The Florida Rep show has five — so the actors have even more songs to sing than usual.

“Our production is more like an acoustic chamber version,” Parrish says. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have electric bass and we don’t have electric guitars and drums and a piano. We rock out. It rocks.

“But it’s more like a company of actors honoring Johnny and celebrating his music and his roots."

“Ring of Fire” isn’t a tribute act

Sure, the show itself is a tribute to the late, great country star. But the actors aren’t necessarily trying to mimic Cash's look and mannerisms onstage.

They’re not meant to look exactly like him, Parrish says. But they do embody Cash slightly more than previous versions of the show.

“We’ve tried to infuse a little bit more of first-person storytelling,” Cusack says. “Traditionally, it’s done where everyone is kinda retelling his story, but no one really is the person.

“We’ve tried to put a little more of that back into the show, and I think we’ve found some clever ways to do it.”

That distinctive Johnny Cash voice, however, was crucial. So the show cast people who could hit those deep notes in his vocals.

“With any of these shows … you don’t want to impersonate them,” Parrish says. “You’re not doing a tribute act. You’re really paying tribute to their music, if anything else.

“But you can’t do it justice without trying to live in the vocal style. So I think people are definitely going to enjoy hearing Johnny’s sound.”

Rock and country musicals are Florida Rep crowd-pleasers

Florida Rep had a big hit on its hands in 2019 with “Million Dollar Quartet,” the musical based on a famed Memphis recording session with music icons Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.

And the hits kept coming with more rock and country musicals at the downtown theater.

“Audiences are telling us by ticket sales that they want to see these musicals…” Parrish says. “‘Million Dollar Quartet’ broke all the records.”

After that show, Florida Rep followed up with last year’s Buddy Holly musical “Buddy” and now “Ring of Fire.”

“There’s an Americana songbook that we’re getting our way through,” Parrish says. “Johnny Cash’s stuff is sort of the next story we wanted to tell, and it’s another way for us to showcase some really amazing actor-musicians.”

Parrish calls “Ring of Fire” a nice transition after the more rock-focused musicals “Buddy” and “Million Dollar Quartet.” And it’s already shaping up to be a hit, too.

Hurricane Ian fatigue might have something to do with that, too, he says.

“We can tell from the excitement about it at the box office that people are looking for an escape,” he says. “They want something else to do and think about for two hours so they can just forget about insurance adjusters and contractors and things like that.”

How to get tickets to Florida Rep’s “Ring of Fire”

Tickets start at $75. Prices fluctuate based on demand.

For more information or to buy tickets, call 332-4488 or visit floridarep.org

Florida Repertory Theatre is in the historic Arcade Theatre, 2268 Bay St., downtown Fort Myers.

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1). You can also call at 239-335-0368.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Johnny Cash musical 'Ring of Fire' opens at Florida Rep in Fort Myers