THE MAN IN BLACK – The Johnny Cash Story

By Shane Pinnegar

Filmed live at the Palais Theatre in Sydney during this show’s late 2010 tour of the nation’s theatres, THE MAN IN BLACK isn’t acted as such – rather, it is presented as an intimate telling of the life of the great country singer.

Starring the inimitable Tex Perkins (Beasts of Bourbon, Cruel Sea & solo artist) and Rachael Tidd, these two share storyteller duties and a crackling chemistry – much like Cash and soulmate June Carter themselves.

The stage is sparsely decorated – the stories and songs provide the entertainment here, driven by the sparkling charisma of the leads and the remarkable songs themselves, from ‘I Walk the Line’ through ‘Five Feet High and Rising’, the fiery ‘Jackson’ – itself “as hot as a pepper sprout” – ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, ‘A Boy Named Sue’, ‘Ring Of Fire’ and many more.

Tidd plays it pretty straight, allowing Perkins to have a bit of fun with the role and the songs, his cheekiness and humour evident throughout, and the music courtesy of The Tennessee Four is never less than authentic and entertaining.

Good fun, great music, and a good night out – though over the course of 26 songs with not much happening on stage and only basic camerawork, the DVD itself becomes a little samey, even though the music never flags for a moment.