Review: The Ballad of Johnny and June highlights one of our greatest love stories

The first meeting between Johnny Cash and June Carter could be seen as either romantic or creepy depending on your point of view.

About to be introduced on the Grand Ole Opry stage in 1956 by Carter’s then-husband Carl Smith, Cash (played with gravelly gravitas by Christopher Ryan Grant) cheekily tells his wife-to-be (Patti Murin) that he’s “been waiting his whole life to meet (her).”

Carter’s response? “Well, that’s terrifying.”

Except that their future son John Carter Cash (Van Hughes), narrating from outside the timeline, points out that his mom has a slightly different recollection of this epochal moment that was a little more prosaic. Two differing perspectives, both entwining around their son’s in The Ballad of Johnny and June, seen in previews in advance of its run at the Shoctor Theatre until December 8.

Does it matter which is more factual? Not according to John Carter Cash who notes that his dad would say “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

The mists of time may have fudged certain key aspects of the Cash and Carter story but thankfully it’s a good one no matter how you view it. As titanic figures in popular music both Johnny and June had it all as country music singers encased as country music tropes: sexy, tempestuous, talented, addicted, and headed down a tragic path. Except that, of course, for all the difficult times it wasn’t tragic at all: it was one of the great love stories of our time.

The Ballad of Johnny and June makes a good case for this while showing the darker side of their relationship, including the people who were hurt by it. Cash’s first wife Vivian, Carter’s second husband, “Rip” Nix, and even the kids, who at times ended up secondary figures to the couple as they rushed towards each other. Revered figures they might be, with deep-seated evangelical Christian upbringings, but squeaky clean they were not.

Heavy stuff leavened by some of the greatest songs and musical moments in the canon. Johnny proposing to June in London, Ontario; the debated authorship of Ring of Fire; a legendary moment at Folsom Prison that John Carter Cash winks at as another instance of legend overtaking fact. In between are deep cuts that might surprise even the most fervent of Cash/Carter heads: June Carter singing No Swallerin’ Place while sweetly dancing; Anita Carter introducing a hypnotic early arrangement of Ring of Fire; June’s transporting take on Wildwood Flower as she fades into eternity. All played beautifully by a local band attentive to the nuance of traditional country, gentle Appalachian folk, the proto-rockabilly of songs like Get Rhythm.

An ensemble cast switches deftly between characters. Cash’s father (Bart Shatto) is also producer Sam Phillips, while Correy West shifts between guitar player Luther Perkins and Carter’s second husband Nix. Cash’s first wife Vivian (Gabriella Joy) is also a Carter Family member. Everybody sings, everybody plays, and in the entangling of family and band, you get a sense of community.

It’s a history lesson and it’s not a history lesson. The song The Carter Family Tree explains the importance of the Carter Family and the lineage of early singers whose work eventually codified the sound of what we consider to be classic country. Kris Kristofferson makes an appearance as part of the popular Cash variety show, performing with the host an uncut version of Sunday Morning Coming Down that had network executives in a tizzy because of the use of the word “stoned.”

These are important stories in a shared life swimming with indelible moments, but you can read about those on Wikipedia. What really stirs The Ballad of Johnny and June is a hard-fought-for love that had to be worked on even until the end, one that had them passing within months of each other.

The Cash and Carter story as we’ve been told might be fudged a little in the service of a good tale, but the basic bones of it can’t be denied, and that’s where The Ballad of Johnny and June hits you hardest.

When: until Dec. 8

Where: The Shoctor Theatre in the Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Ave.

Tickets: $40 and up, available at the door or in advance from citadeltheatre.com

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