By Graham Hiley.
Star rating: 4/5
If I could have seen one other singer in my lifetime, it would have been Johnny Cash.
Sadly, it never happened – but The Ballad of Johnny and June is the next best thing.
Christopher Ryan Grant is utterly convincing as the Man in Black, from the look to the sound. He captured the Country music legend’s absolute essence from his mannerisms to his glances, his smile and, remarkably, even his deep distinctive gravel voice – which came as a real relief.
It would have been very easy for this to have been effectively a tribute band putting on an autopilot concert and simply wheeling out his greatest hits.
Of course, most of them were there – though with such an incredible back catalogue it would be impossible to shoehorn them all into two hours.
Timeless classics such as I Walk The Line, Folsom Prison Blues and Ring of Fire were sung with such accuracy and personality that you almost came away feeling you had seen the man himself.
But this was so much more than just a succession of songs as it told the love story of Johnny Cash and his beloved sweetheart June Carter.
And while they were obviously the real deal, this was no sugar-coated fairytale version of a troubled partnership thanks to the input of their miracle son John Carter Cash who was the executive producer and story consultant.
His insight ensured it was told warts and all with real authenticity, detailing the battles with drug addiction by his father and – less well-known – his mother.
He was skilfully portrayed by Ryan O’Donnell whose strong singing added an extra dimension as did his narration which was an essential tool for continuity which otherwise could have been hugely confusing.
It certainly helped to know the back story (or to have at least watched the excellent bio-pic Walk The Line) as the ensemble played a whole host of characters too numerous to even name in the programme. That was a shame because they deserved great credit as they rapidly rotated roles – especially Anne-Marie Wojna as Cash’s first wife Vivian.
The list includes Johnny and June’s previous spouses and Johnny’s brother who died young as well as the Carter sisters and the Tennessee Three; it would be even harder to follow without the witty and insightful narration.
Just as in real-life, Johnny received strong support from June, brilliantly played by Christina Bianco. She too captured the voice and the bubbly personality of the singer who was the bigger name when the pair first met.
Best known for her online impersonations of divas which have racked up 25 million views, she proved she is a star in her own right with crystal clear and compelling vocals as well as portraying a wide range of emotions veering from anger and frustration to real tenderness.
With Robert Brill’s simple but authentic set adding to the atmosphere, the Johnny Cash Musical was a thoroughly entertaining and believable toe-tapper of a show which was as close as possible to the real thing.
The Ballad of Johnny and June runs at Mayflower Theatre until September 12. mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/the-ballad-of-johnny-june-2026
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