The story about a Scottish artist and their connection to country music is one we’ve heard before. We were all in awe of Jessie Buckley in Wild Rose, the 2018 film by Tom Harper that focuses entirely on this connection and love of the music genre. As with Wild Rose, with this new National Theatre of Scotland/Grid Iron Theatre production, June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me, the strength of the talent is amplified by fine vocals, and the story compelling.
In this honest and gritty, though life-affirming, show, Charlene Boyd, through random discovery, goes on a journey to find out more about the woman who was not simply Johnny Cash’s other half but also the writer of ‘Ring of Fire’ and part of The Carter Family, the first family of country music. Using immersive theatre, great stage design (Summerhall is dressed to look like a cabaret venue with tables littered across the venue and guests positioned towards the stage) and an intimately personal theatre technique, interacting with audience as June would do, Boyd makes it near impossible not to be pulled into her tale. Directed by Cora Bissett, the narratorial elements of the production are anticipated, as Boyd speaks directly to the crowd (like we saw with What Girls Are Made Of – written and performed by Bassett) giving a beautiful insight into her life and the correlation to June’s. It works well for the tale, and this play with songs becomes more than just a biography of June’s life – it’s as much about Charlene’s connection to the music and the life of her musical icon, noting parallels in their lives.
This is a compelling, enchanting and highly crafted piece of theatre by Boyd, Bissett, the Grid Iron Theatre Company, and the National Theatre of Scotland. The show, part of the Made in Scotland showcase, is inspiring, entertaining and will make you want to sit through it all over again. And does it matter that similar stories have been done before? Well, no! The parallel drawn between American female country musicians with Scottish women in music highlights a common stoic power and endurance to their personalities. We actually need to be reminded of this more often.
Words by Keira Brown
