Lethbridge raised, Calgary based actor Devon Brayne found his niche playing Johnny Cash in New West Theatre’s 2018 production of the Million Dollar Quartet.
Brayne will be back with a crack band the play Johnny Cash again at the Enmax Centre with Folsom Prison Revisited ,Thursday, Nov. 16.
“It‘s a hybrid show. It’s not a concert, it’s not a theatrical production and it‘s not a tribute act, but it’s a combination of all three,” described Devon Brayne, from Calgary, where he has been living for the past eight years.
“It has been in the works for the past four years but it got put back on the back-burner for a few years because of the pandemic. Graham Neil (from GNR productions) saw me perform in the Million Dollar Quartet and said he found his ‘Johnny,’” Brayne said, noting GNR has produced similar shows telling the stories of Tom Petty, Merle Haggard and George Jones.
Being part of the New West production opened up a lot of doors for him including several other runs of the Million Dollar Quartet in other cities and eventually leading to Folsom Revisited. Folsom Revisited has already had successful shows in Edmonton and Calgary.
“This has been a labour of love for the past four years. Being part of the Million Dollar Quartet allowed me to spread my wings. Now it‘s time to fly,” Brayne said.
I feel fortunate to be cast in Million Dollar Quartet right when it was just taking off,” he said, adding the show provides a solid overview of Johnny Cash’s career, particularly the Folsom Prison concert, which was an important turning point for Cash professionally and personally.
“The first half of the show is the Folsom Prison Concert where we perform the music from the concert. The second half is ‘Devon the Storyteller’ where we examine the trajectory of Johnny Cash’s career after the concert including his battles with addiction. But it’s really an excuse to play Johnny Cash songs,” Brayne said.
“These are songs I was playing when I was starting out as a musician,” he said, adding he hopes the show will resonate with Southern Alberta audiences
“Johnny Cash was an everyman. He is very relatable,” Brayne said.
The show features a live band including GNR co founder Rob Shapiro, who also played keyboards with popular Edmonton based country trio Hey Romeo, his Hey Romeo bandmate guitarist, Darren Gusnowsky; bassist Curtis Ebner, drummer Joey McIntyre and special guest Melissa McPherson playing the role of June and singing a few duets with Brayne including “Ring of Fire,” “Jackson,” “If I Were a Carpenter and several others.
The show covers Cash’s most popular hits and a few obscurities like “ One Piece At A Time,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” A Boy Named Sue” and , of course, “Folsom Prison Blues.”
“There’s 26 songs in the show from the hits to Johnny Cash’s ‘American’ albums with Rick Rubin including ‘Hurt.’ It’s got all the songs the fans want to hear and if you aren’t a fan, we’ll make you a fan by the end of the show,” Brayne said.
Tickets are $55 and $65. The show begins at 7 p.m., at the Enmax Centre, Thursday, Nov. 16.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
