Four new theater shows open this weekend

Richard Maltby, the writer and director, says he's not much of a country-western fan.

"It's not inherently theatrical — they aren't show tunes," he said by phone from his New York home.

Not theatrical!? What in the name of Red Sovine is he talking about?

Maltby, who created the hit musical revue "Ain't Misbehavin'," overcame his lack of interest and in 2006 built "Ring of Fire — The Music of Johnny Cash" for Broadway. "What interested me about Johnny Cash when I looked at the material was that there was a story in all of these songs," Maltby said. "What he was writing about seemed incredibly moving and touching."

On Broadway, Maltby's "Ring of Fire" lasted only a little longer than a country-western ballad. It has been reimagined for a version that opens Friday at Plymouth Playhouse under Curt Wollan's direction. Eight performer/musicians run through 31 of Cash's songs, revue style. There is no story, per se, other than the narratives contained in the music.

"It's a man's search for redemption," Maltby said. "He wrote about things he'd done wrong, things he wished he hadn't done and he finds his way back to being a good person."

The Plymouth Playhouse production scales down the Broadway show and could become the template for a national tour.

Eight years ago, Katy Mc­Ewen and Shanan Custer wrote and performed their own show at the Brave New Workshop. Custer has gone on to other things, but Mc-wEwen has found a willing partner in Lauren Anderson, currently the funniest thing on the Workshop stage.

Honest Abe's birthday is coming up (he would have been 204, had he lived), and the current movie "Lincoln" will make news at the upcoming Academy Awards (Daniel Day-Lewis is favored to win another Oscar).

As for the "Vajazzled Badge of Courage" portion of the title, we shall leave that untouched.

This is something of a rare chance to see McEwen on stage. She primarily works behind the scenes these days but when she was a Workshop regular, McEwen was as sharp and funny as they come. And in the past decade, no one on this stage has had as nice a singing voice. Anderson will go down in history as one of the brightest bulbs in the Workshop's marquee. She's fearless with her emotions and keen with voices and characterizations.

8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m. Sat., 7:30 p.m. Thu., ends March 9, Brave New Workshop Theatre, 824 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $25-$30, 612-332-6620 or theatre.bravenewworkshop.com.

Minneapolis Musical Theatre has a sweet tooth for this kind of campy material. The production christens a new partnership MMT has forged with Hennepin Theatre Trust, and opens at the Trust's New Century Theatre in City Center. Munchies are available at the concession counter.

As usual, artistic director Steven Meerdink is at the wheel, with a cast that includes Kurt Bender, Maggie Mae Dale and Emily Jabas.

The plot has to do with wholesome kids who stumble into the clutches of demon weed. Pretty soon they're down the path to … down the path to … to … I'm sorry, what was I talking about?

7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 5 p.m. Sun., ends Feb. 24, New Century Theatre, 701 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.; $24-$29, 1-800-982-2787 or www.HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

Actors play actors in this popular play about actors. Playwright Annie Baker puts four theatrical hopefuls together in a community drama class with a questionable instructor. The group goes through their routine acting lessons but soon something emerges that is less about theater and more about human psychology.

Jason Peterson, Yellow Tree's artistic director, stages the work, with Doree Du Toit, Jessica Lind Peterson, Tara Borman, Dan Hopman and Kurt Schweickhardt.

7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., ends Feb. 24, Yellow Tree Theatre, 320 5th Av. SE., Osseo, $17-$23, 763-493-8733 or www.yellowtreetheatre.com.