Ring of Fire
Jay Hitt, a singer/songwriter and guitarist who divides his time between Butler and New York, is just about done rehearsing six days a week for his show “Ring of Fire.”
The show that pays homage to the music of Johnny Cash opens tonight at the CLO Cabaret Theater, 655 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh.
Hitt of Butler Township said he and six other performers tell the story of Cash’s life through his songs.
“He is not a character in the play but everything revolves around his life and June Carter,” Hitt said.
There are 30 songs in the show, along with the stories behind the songs.
Tunes include “Country Boy,” “A Thing Called Love,” “Five Feet High and Rising,” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “I Walk the Line,” “The Man in Black” and “Hurt.”
“You’re hearing all the songs but we’re not pretending to be Johnny or June,” Hitt said. “But the dialogue that there is tells the story.”
This Pittsburgh premiere features direction and choreography by Guy Stroman with music direction by Chris Blisset.
“‘Ring of Fire’ has been done in different forms,” Hitt said. “From a large cast of 20 or so to only five people kind of like this show.”
Other performers in the show are Paul Koudouris, Mitch Marois, Jonathan Rohlf, Nicole Stefonek, Erika Strasburg and Santino Tomasetti.
“I knew what ‘Ring of Fire’ was,” Hitt said. “The auditions were really just to come in and play a song and sing. I’ve been doing this for 40 years. I’m a singer/songwriter but not an actor.”
The show runs through Aug. 17 at the 250-plus seat venue.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets range from $34.75 to $44.75. Call 412-281-2822.
