Johnny Cash musical to start run in Santa Barbara

The cast of a new musical about country singer Johnny Cash learned about his Casitas Springs connections on the first day of rehearsal.

Cash, who died in September 2003 at the age of 71, lived in Casitas Springs from 1960 to 1967.

"It set us back a bit," said cast member Sam Linkowski, who is one of five actors portraying Cash in a production by Santa Barbara's Ensemble Theater Co. "We were like, 'Woah.' It's pretty amazing. I was particularly grateful we were doing it in this area because of that. It sort of set the tone for the first day of rehearsal."

"Ring Of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash" begins with a preview show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and officially opens at 8 p.m. Saturday at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. The production runs through Dec. 17.

Cash, nicknamed The Man in Black, has sold more than 90 million records and is known for songs like “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “A Boy Named Sue” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” He was born in Kingsland, Arkansas and was married twice, including to singer and songwriter June Carter. She also died in 2003.

The Broadway musical, created by Richard Maltby Jr. and conceived by William Meade, uses Cash’s music to tell the struggle and triumph of his life.

“We’re not departing from the traditional songs, but we’re certainly putting in voices you might not expect to hear singing these songs,” said Randy Redd, the director and musical director who was in the original Broadway production.

Linkowski, 26, of Los Angeles, is among the cast members who play the iconic singer at different points in his life. Linkowski plays guitar and sings on almost all of the 30-plus songs during the two-hour production. He grew up listening to Cash when he was 10 years old living in Fresno.

“I loved country music and folk music,” Linkowski said. “My mom introduced me to a lot of that…We learned the music of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and country people like John Denver.”

Oxnard resident Scott Devine, executive director of Ensemble Theatre Co., said the show is a loose telling of Cash’s life told through his music.

“The songs are at the forefront,” Devine, 52, said. “We’ve used this tagline: ‘We are all Johnny Cash.’ He is such a piece of Americana that he is in a little bit of all of us. The idea that we are all tied to this music and tied to this man is a great sentiment.”

Linkowski said Cash is relatable to everyone and the cast reflects that with different ages and ethnicities.

“We’re a diverse group of people and the songs all work,” Linkowski said. “Everything works.”

For more information and ticket prices, visit etcsb.org.

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Johnny Cash musical to start run in Santa Barbara