Photo Flash: RING OF FIRE - THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH Plays at SRT's Fallon House

Music fans of all genres are in for a white-hot tribute to the "Man in Black" with Sierra Repertory Theatre's Ring of Fire - The Music of Johnny Cash, playing at the Fallon House in Columbia now through May 27. See photos from the production below!

A live band backs up a team of incredible instrumentalists and singers in this popular musical revue directed by SRT Artistic Director Scott Viets. Though Cash himself is never impersonated, Sierra Rep's talented performers use his music to tell his life story and showcase his musical legacy.

Cash's music spans country, rockabilly, blues, gospel and rock-and-roll. An American icon, Cash climbed from a poor Arkansas cotton farm to worldwide musical fame, sold 90 million records, wrote more than 1,000 songs and won nearly every major music award in his five decade career.
As a hugely popular "juke box musical," Ring of Fire packs in more than 35 hits from Cash's long career, such as "Country Boy," "A Thing Called Love," "Five Feet High and Rising," "Daddy Sang Bass," "Ring of Fire," "I Walk the Line," "I've Been Everywhere," "The Man in Black," and his final hit, "Hurt."

SRT Director Scott Viets and Musical Director Mark Seiver have assembled a stellar cast of musicians for a concert-style show that will feature six vocalists and a dozen different live instruments, from guitar, bass, banjo, fiddle and ukulele to harmonica, drums, keyboards, autoharp and accordion.

New York performers Mike Rosengarten and Margaret Ellen Jeffreys did the show together in West Virginia last year and now join the SRT cast. They said Ring of Fire is a great ensemble piece that lets audiences connect with warm, genuine emotion, great music and Cash's compelling stories.

Joining Rosengarten and Jeffreys are vocalists and musicians Kacey Coppola, Jen Eden, Sean Riley and David Elkins. Musical Director Mark Seiver will also lead the on-stage band with keyboards, bass and percussion.

SRT guest artist Rand Endlow of University of the Pacific designed the set, and SRT's resident artists fill out the design team: costumes are by Bina Bieker, props are by Mercy De Herrera, lights are by Christopher Van Tuyl and stage management is by Doug Brennan.

Ring of Fire - the Music of Johnny Cash opens Friday, April 20 and plays through Sunday, May 27 at SRT's Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Historic Park. Thursday and Friday performances begin at 7, Saturday evening performances are at 8, and Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees begin at 2. (Note: Due to detours and expected traffic for the international Amgen Tour of California cycling race, there will be no performance on Wednesday, May 16, but a 2 p.m. matinee will be added to the regular schedule on Thursday, May 17.)

Ticket prices range from $24 to $32 depending on the day of the performance. Special "Talk Back" discussions with the cast will be held after the performances on Thursday, May 3 and Wednesday, May 9. For more information or reservations, call Sierra Rep's box office at (209) 532-3120 or visit Sierra Rep at www.sierrarep.org or like Sierra Rep on Facebook at http://facebook.com/sierrarep.

SRT is a professional non-profit theater producing a year-round season of classic and contemporary plays at two locations - the SRT theater in East Sonora and the historic Fallon House Theatre in Columbia. The talented resident company and visiting guest artists include members of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers. High quality performances, production values and management have established Sierra Rep as a model for regional theater. Sierra Rep's 200-seat theater in East Sonora is intimate, attractive and comfortable; with excellent sight lines and acoustics, and no seat more than 10 rows from the stage. The Fallon House is a restored Gold Rush-era theater and inn located in Columbia State Historic Park. It seats 274.

See photos from RING OF FIRE below!

Photo Credit: Rich Miller Photography

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