Brighton Theatre Royal Review: The Ballad of Johnny and June
Summary
Rating: ★★★
Running Dates: Tuesday 14th April- Saturday 18th April
Where to see it: Brighton Theatre Royal
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes (incl. interval)
Review
For all country music fans, The Ballad of Johnny and June just landed in Brighton to transport us back to the 1960s and experience the icon love story of Johhny Cash and June Carter.
Narrated by their son John Carter Cash, The Ballad is a universal story of love that is both “a blessing, and a curse”.
Photography by Pamela Raith
Johnny and June’s affair was not smooth sailing. The ‘fairytale’ love story has more than one monster in it, John Carter Cash reminds us. Johnny and June battled addiction, infertility, infidelity, but never left each other’s side until June’s passing in 2003, only four months before Johnny’s.
The musical is the perfect throwback for any country music fans. It features classics like Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, and Hurt, but also offers a peak into The Carter Family’s story and Johnny Cash’s childhood. It’s catchy, fairly light-hearted, and a great way to spend an evening with mates. However, it’s not much more than that. The plot doesn’t have to offer much more than a predictable tale of a lonely touring musician who abuses drugs and the people around him, only then to be redeemed by a woman who sticks by his side no matter what.
Christopher Ruan Grant and Christina Bianco do an outstanding job as Johnny and June- their chemistry is palpable and contagious, making you visibly blush as they fall in love right in front of your eyes. Ryan O’Donnell also offers a great performance as John Carter Cash, bringing most of the comedic relief and lightheartedness to the story.
Photography by Pamela Raith
The Ballad of Johnny and June is a sneak-peak into the lives and careers of two legends who forever changed the music landscape, and whose influence still ripples to this day.
Written by Roberta Guarini
We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review