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REVIEW 'Ring of Fire' a loving tribute to iconic country star Johnny Cash Comment By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Feb. 19, 2016 at 5:37 PM By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Feb. 19, 2016 at 5:37 PM Oregon Cabaret Theatre --> "Ring of Fire - The Music of Johnny Cash"Directed by Valerie RachelleMusical Direction by Brian Russell Carey » Read more X Oregon Cabaret Theatre "Ring of Fire - The Music of Johnny Cash" Directed by Valerie Rachelle Musical Direction by Brian Russell Carey » Social News Johnny Cash was a survivor. Through his various incarnations as a farmer, appliance salesman, booze-soaked rabblerouser and, finally, as a born-again Christian, he was never dull, and always capable of willing himself to his next incarnation. The Man in Black rode into town at Oregon Cabaret Theatre this past week, embodied in the persons of Philip David Black, Brian Russell Carey, Sean Wolf Galuszka, Catherine Greenfield and John Leistner. Playing to an affable crowd, the six musicians made their way through a series of Cash favorites, interspersed with interesting stories from the singer's life and humorous anecdotes about country music and life in the South. The first act of "Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash" opens with a couple of great traditional country songs by the full company, closely followed by the classic "Straight A's In Love" — a track from one of Cash's earlier records, the 1960 Sun recording, "Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams" — which was handled beautifully by Galuzka and Greenfield, as well as "While I've Got It On my Mind," where Greenfield sings her first duet of the night with Black. Greenfield and Black pair well onstage, and they carry off many of the love songs of the evening with charm and style. With "Five Feet High and Rising," as well as "Egg Suckin' Dog," the ensemble prove themselves capable of great comedic timing, and have a terrific grasp of the sly and homegrown humor that has long been cultivated below the Mason-Dixon Line. With "Flushed From the Bathroom Of Your Heart," Greenfield is all tough Southern belle; a suitable segue into her onstage embodiment of June Carter Cash, Johnny's longtime muse, and second only to God in his life. Greenfield and Galuszka cover "If I Were a Carpenter," which carries all of the passion of emergent love, and follow it with Carter's own song, "Ring of Fire," which she wrote with Merle Kilgore for Cash's 1963 album of the same name. The company closes out a rollicking first set with "Jackson," the country hit single about a disillusioned couple on their way to the bright lights of Jackson in an attempt to revive their love lives, independent of each other. In Act Two, Black, Carey, Galuszka and Leistner show their musical chops with all-male quartet renditions of "Going to Memphis" and "Folsom City Blues." Galuszka gives a soulful take on "Sunday Morning, Coming Down," while Leistner (an OCT perennial favorite) is all steely persuasion and gravely vocals in his lead singing on "The Man in Black" and "A Boy Named Sue." Carey, too, takes a persuasive turn with "Delia's Gone," a staple of the folk revival movement of the '50s. While Black, Carey and Leistner all give solid performances and deliver well for the company as a whole, the standouts of the evening were Galuszka and Greenfield — their chemistry and musical talent gave the audience moments of transcendence. Greenfield, in particular, showed her strength as a multi-instrumentalist with a celestial singing voice. Her performance alone is worth the price of admission. As a whole, "Ring Of Fire" is a loving tribute to one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. With a tight-knit group of musicians and a responsive audience working hard to honor his legacy, Johnny Cash can continue to happily roll around heaven, all day. "Ring of Fire" plays at Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland until April 17. Ashland resident Jeffrey Gillespie is a Daily Tidings columnist, reviewer and freelance writer. Email him at gillespie.jeffrey @gmail.com. By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Feb. 19, 2016 at 5:37 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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