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By CategoryAlways...Patsy Cline
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Always...Patsy ClineYour Toes Will Start Tapping
2005-10-31
Article Written by: Charles Griffin
Patsy Cline is an absolute legend of country-western music and the artist to crossover from pop to country. She was undeniably cute— rather than attractive— even when she was singing about heartbreak, but it was her pure wide-ranging voice that carried her to fame on the airwaves, beyond her looks. Tragically, she died at age 30 in a plane crash, her voice forever frozen to the unforgettable tracks recorded before she had a chance to damage those wonderful vocal cords. She was truly one-of-a-kind and no one will ever be able to exactly duplicate her.
That doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t pretend or see a portrayal on screen or stage. This point brings us to Ted Swindley’s Always... Patsy Cline, a musical memoir based on the true story. It is the latest production of the Seaside Music Theater Downtown, and there were several noteworthy performances I’d like to share. The local production is directed and choreographed by Chuck Hoenes, and all of the music is directed by Terry Tichenor. Darlin Barry stars as Patsy Cline and Rebecca Johnson plays Louise Seger, a Houston woman who befriended Cline after a performance at a Houston nightspot.
The storyline hints at two things—how obsessed a fan can be and how human a star can be.
The obsession here, however, is funny and heartwarming. Before the performance, I had the good fortune to meet a fan of the show who had seen the original show twice. He shared his opinion that the staging of the performance was far livelier and more fun because of Johnson’s performance as Louise. And, in fact, Johnson was a riot! If someone writes a show about Reba McEntire, Johnson should get the role; she’s a dead ringer.
The set is designed so that all action takes place on one plane, which means no scenery changes between scenes and acts. A kitchen on the left segues into a bandstand and there is bar to the right. Transitions often consist of Johnson prancing across the stage to a drumbeat or providing monologues that cover the costume changes for Barry, who constantly is moving on and off stage in different garb.
You should be aware that there is some audience participation beyond applause. If you sit in the faux cafe part of the auditorium, you may have a songstress in your lap or you might become one of the jokes. I suspect the man who dances with Johnson is a plant, however, so you don’t need to wear your dancing shoes.
As for Barry, she’s not Patsy Cline, but in all fairness, no one ever could be. Barry comes awfully close, though. Singing “I Fall to Pieces” she impelled me to note that it was pretty good. “Stupid Cupid” just about bowled me over. It was dead on. She also knocked “You Belong to Me” and “Lovesick Blues” right out of the park.
There were a total of 27 songs in the nearly two-hour performance. Your toes will start tapping when the band starts playing, but they are, unfortunately, left nameless except for the stage name of the “Bodacious Bobcat Band.” I’m telling you that fiddler could make his strings talk, but every instrumentalist was super.
Although the facts of Patsy Cline’s life are sketched out in monologues, the Cline here is played as an older, more world-weary performer. That is a peek at the reality behind the publicist’s stills and the taped live performances of the real person. In the 50s and early 60s, perhaps even later, you could be a fan or a newspaper reviewer and go backstage, easily meet the performers and possibly become friends just as Louise did. People like Cline and Loretta Lynn, her better-known friend, were just as real and down-to-earth as you or I or our next-door neighbor. Perhaps that’s why their voices are so special and why we never want them to die.
Always... Patsy Cline is playing through November 20, 2005 at SMT Downtown. I recommend that you go and have a good time.
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