#1
Posted: 2/18/06 at 10:47am
RING OF FIRE Review
Incorporating 38 Johnny Cash tunes, “Ring of Fire” is the latest Broadway, eh, juke-box musical (using that word very loosely) based on the songs of a pop group or solo act. It aspires to be “Jersey Boys” meets “Mamma Mia” (which lets face it, are only “tops” of an already despised genre of musical theatre). Unfortunately, this show comes nowhere close to even being as good as that; it is more like “Good Vibrations” meets…an even worse fate! If Mr. Cash were still alive to grace us with his demanding presence, he would slip right back into one of his devastating dark places if he could see what creators and producers are doing to his commanding music. “Ring of Fire” is an uninspired and rotten attempt to recreate what should be a joyful and moody piece - that turns out to be nothing more than ill-conceived rubbish.
Creator and Director Richard Maltby, Jr., whose previous works (Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Fosse) dazzled, is working overtime at the complete and utter bottom of his form by trying to con audiences into enjoying this pathetic patchwork. And that doesn’t even begin to describe the work of Lisa Shriver, who has never choreographed a Broadway outing all by herself and makes that clearly evident here with some of the corniest dancing in Broadway history.
It also does not help that the show has one of the flimsiest sets (designed by Neil Patel) of any current Broadway show. Enough with screens already! Most shows that have used projections in the past year have failed miserably. A coincidence? I think not! But, “Good Vibrations,” “Blonde in the Thunderbird,” “Lennon”, and “The Woman In White” have all failed to razzle-dazzle or turn a profit and they each used screens. Only “The Woman In White” used their screens to the shows benefit…but even it didn’t strike a cord with American Audiences. “Ring of Fire” should have steered clear and left the projections where they belong, in a movie theatre or home entertainment system. Instead it jumps right in the proverbial sinking ship.
Although the evening continues to sink with or without the dreaded screen; for there is not a true story that is explored. No retrospective, no new spin, no underlying moral tale, no deep look into the legend’s explosive career. Maybe a smart choice considering how bad every juke-box musical book has been up until now! But, Cash’s music is simply not Broadway fare and an entire evening of comma inducing arrangements will put most New York audiences to sleep. And lets face it, this is not the time of year that tourists are flocking to the Great White Way!
With everything so wrong with “Ring of Fire,” it is hard to imagine the cast being as well-rounded as they are. For the powers that be have decided not to name any characters! But why would they? There is no story; instead each actor is just milling around stage pretending to be in a country jukebox musical gone bad. Jarrod Emick, who does the best job of the six standouts, has a powerful voice and a great smile to go along with it – unfortunately that is all he ever gets to show off in this piece. Also doing effective vocal work throughout is Jeb Brown.
The entire evening is embarrassingly bad. Each marvelous Cash number fails to register beyond their melancholy pull. These Broadway producers must enjoy watching a legends career nearly shatter before ones eyes at the same time watching their money burn. For this “Ring of Fire” is not even fit for the likes of the Dollywood Theme Park, let alone a Broadway stage!
Incorporating 38 Johnny Cash tunes, “Ring of Fire” is the latest Broadway, eh, juke-box musical (using that word very loosely) based on the songs of a pop group or solo act. It aspires to be “Jersey Boys” meets “Mamma Mia” (which lets face it, are only “tops” of an already despised genre of musical theatre). Unfortunately, this show comes nowhere close to even being as good as that; it is more like “Good Vibrations” meets…an even worse fate! If Mr. Cash were still alive to grace us with his demanding presence, he would slip right back into one of his devastating dark places if he could see what creators and producers are doing to his commanding music. “Ring of Fire” is an uninspired and rotten attempt to recreate what should be a joyful and moody piece - that turns out to be nothing more than ill-conceived rubbish.
Creator and Director Richard Maltby, Jr., whose previous works (Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Fosse) dazzled, is working overtime at the complete and utter bottom of his form by trying to con audiences into enjoying this pathetic patchwork. And that doesn’t even begin to describe the work of Lisa Shriver, who has never choreographed a Broadway outing all by herself and makes that clearly evident here with some of the corniest dancing in Broadway history.
It also does not help that the show has one of the flimsiest sets (designed by Neil Patel) of any current Broadway show. Enough with screens already! Most shows that have used projections in the past year have failed miserably. A coincidence? I think not! But, “Good Vibrations,” “Blonde in the Thunderbird,” “Lennon”, and “The Woman In White” have all failed to razzle-dazzle or turn a profit and they each used screens. Only “The Woman In White” used their screens to the shows benefit…but even it didn’t strike a cord with American Audiences. “Ring of Fire” should have steered clear and left the projections where they belong, in a movie theatre or home entertainment system. Instead it jumps right in the proverbial sinking ship.
Although the evening continues to sink with or without the dreaded screen; for there is not a true story that is explored. No retrospective, no new spin, no underlying moral tale, no deep look into the legend’s explosive career. Maybe a smart choice considering how bad every juke-box musical book has been up until now! But, Cash’s music is simply not Broadway fare and an entire evening of comma inducing arrangements will put most New York audiences to sleep. And lets face it, this is not the time of year that tourists are flocking to the Great White Way!
With everything so wrong with “Ring of Fire,” it is hard to imagine the cast being as well-rounded as they are. For the powers that be have decided not to name any characters! But why would they? There is no story; instead each actor is just milling around stage pretending to be in a country jukebox musical gone bad. Jarrod Emick, who does the best job of the six standouts, has a powerful voice and a great smile to go along with it – unfortunately that is all he ever gets to show off in this piece. Also doing effective vocal work throughout is Jeb Brown.
The entire evening is embarrassingly bad. Each marvelous Cash number fails to register beyond their melancholy pull. These Broadway producers must enjoy watching a legends career nearly shatter before ones eyes at the same time watching their money burn. For this “Ring of Fire” is not even fit for the likes of the Dollywood Theme Park, let alone a Broadway stage!
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