The major UK premiere tour of The Ballad of Johnny & June arrives at Theatre Royal Brighton from 14 to 18 April, bringing one of music’s greatest love stories to the stage through the eyes of the couple’s own son.
The musical, which opened its six-month UK and Ireland tour at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre in March, traces the soaring highs and shattering lows of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash — from small-town Arkansas to the pinnacle of American music, through addiction, heartbreak and redemption. What sets it apart from previous Cash adaptations is its authenticity: John Carter Cash, the couple’s son, co-created the show and shaped its narrative from his own memories and recollections of growing up with two of the twentieth century’s most iconic musicians.
The story is told from John Carter’s perspective, with actor Ryan O’Donnell taking on the narrator role. It is a framing device that gives the production an intimacy that a straightforward biographical musical might lack — the audience sees Johnny and June not just as legends but as parents, partners and flawed human beings whose music was inseparable from the lives they lived together.
American musical theatre star Christopher Ryan Grant, who originated the role of Johnny Cash in both the San Diego and Canadian premieres at La Jolla Playhouse and Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre, brings his acclaimed portrayal to the UK stage for the first time. Two-time Drama Desk Award nominee Christina Bianco, known to UK audiences from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, stars as June Carter Cash.
The production is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff, whose credits include Jersey Boys, The Who’s Tommy and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. His track record with jukebox musicals built around real artists is arguably unmatched in contemporary theatre.
The soundtrack features the songs that made Cash a global icon — I Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, Hey Porter, Jackson and I’ve Been Everywhere among them. Johnny Cash sold more than 90 million records worldwide and won 13 Grammy Awards during his career. June Carter Cash won five Grammys across her own illustrious career. The pair married in 1968 and remained together until June’s death in 2003.
The Ballad of Johnny & June plays Theatre Royal Brighton from 14 to 18 April. Tickets are available now from atgtickets.com.
