“Ring of Fire” is a country and rockabilly treat when put into the hands of Actors’ Summit, a Knight Arts grantee and its remarkable cast of singers and musicians.

The show takes a reflective biographical look at musical legend and star Johnny Cash through his music. If you know nothing about Cash, you’ll learn a lot – his sharecropper, poverty-stricken origins; the tragedies that shaped and haunted his life, like the death of his brother; his brushes with the law; his ruined first marriage; and perhaps most tellingly, his addictions.

Cast, “Ring of Fire.” Photo courtesy of Actors’ Summit

The monkey on his back theme emerges right at the start when actor Dana Hart sits on a stool and sings Cash’s cover for Trent Reznor’s version of the Nine Inch Nails tune “Hurt,” a melody that soulfully carries the musical burden of drug addiction, how it creates emotional fever in the user, as well as havoc in his life and that of all around him. The audience sees much more of that idea throughout this show.

If you do know many of the facts about Cash, the treat in this musical is to see how the music of his life was sort of chosen to tell the truth on stage. It probably also gave him a chance to purge some pretty powerful emotions that had to have piled up on the singer.

This cast does an amazing job. Honestly, when we went to see an opening weekend performance, we had some trepidations. The theatrical experience could really head south if done wrong. Part of that worry was laid to rest when director Neil Thackaberry (who is also co-artistic director of Actors’ Summit) told the audience beforehand that the singers (three men and a woman) were not going to attempt to impersonate Johnny Cash.

Rather, the cast (Jennifer Browning, Scott Davis, Dana Hart and Brian Mueller, backed up onstage by pianist J.T. Buck) focused on performing – and acting out – his famous and not-so-famous songs. None seemed to do that better Browning. She had the country singer image nailed down – an obvious love of the stage and singing, a big, perky smile and toothy grin, the intriguing twang, and an inescapable sense that these songs had the deepest and most profound meaning. She belts out tunes the way you want to hear them.

She also stepped into June Carter Cash’s shoes when singing the duets that were very much a part of the revival of Cash’s career after he finally put to rest his addictions.

Dana Hart has a wonderful voice in the same timbre as Johnny Cash – a trait that made him perfect for the big tunes – “Hurt,” Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and the big finish song “Boy Named Sue,” along with the set-up verses for “Ring of Fire,” “I’ve Been Everywhere,” and the like.

Banjoist Scott Davis seemed to carry the major role of narrating background information about Cash, along with providing some wonderful banjo picking and vocals – especially in the gospel numbers that were very much a part of Cash’s upbringing in the Deep South.

Guitarist Brian Mueller added the vocal tenor line in a story about a deep bass, gravel voiced singer. He, too, added into the remarkable harmonies of the gospel and spiritual numbers, like “Old Rugged Cross,” “I’ll Fly Away,” and “Sweet By and By.”

Watch pianist J.T. Buck. He rocks the keyboard and not just tickles the ivories, but makes them charge the musical atmosphere.

Actors’ Summit may be putting on its best musical revue-style show so far. Take it in; it is well worth it. You’ll probably be like we were – humming and whistling Cash tunes on the way home and downloading certain songs on YouTube.com. Cash was a captivating performer and personality, and director Thackaberry makes that apparent with his cast and direction in this production.

“Ring of Fire” will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday through May 25 at Actors’ Summit, Graystone Hall, 103 S. High St., Akron; 330-374-7568; www.actorssummit.org. Tickets are $33 ($28 for seniors, $10 for full-time students).