By Ruby Nancy | Thursday, June 14, 2007
Always … Patsy Cline” is one of those musical revues that focuses on a single star and the catalog of hits that made the performer famous.
These are usually pretty much a solo show with lots of music and
a collection of scenes designed to tie the songs together in some way.
The most common — a chronological retelling of the lead’s life story, using the
lyrics of their hits to represent different time periods or situations — does
not always work as well as might be hoped. In the case of “Always … Patsy
Cline,” the framework of the show is different, hinging mostly on a single
weekend when Cline becomes friends with an early fan of hers.
Based on a true story and narrated from the point of view of Louise Seger
(played by the inimitable Lyndsay Sweeney), whose admiration for Cline grew into
a friendship that continued via lengthy letters, this revue holds up
significantly better than most of its kind. As an actual show as well as a
musical performance, “Always … Patsy Cline” is a winner, and the Clinton Area
Showboat Theatre’s production that runs through this weekend is amazingly so.
First, Sweeney is absolutely fantastic as Seger, lending a cheerful frankness to
the role that engages you from the start. Clad in a ridiculously endearing
western ensemble, complete with yellow cowboy boots, and sporting a butchy
little bouffant, Sweeney yucks up her first-person narrative with an authentic,
folksy, even conversational style, and the result is marvelously entertaining.
From colorful descriptions of her beloved car (and a drum-enhanced strut across
the stage to indicate the point in her story when she is driving it) to tales
about wacky calls to her local radio station, she chatters and embellishes with
an ease and goofy cheerfulness that has great appeal.
Sweeney, whose head shot in the program shows her to be an exotic beauty (and
whose bio reveals her as a professional Shakespearean actor), seems perfectly
comfortable in this almost-gawky role, throwing herself into it with a lively
gusto. She interacts with the audience directly, oozing a perfect accent without
a single waver (while her many antics earn even more laughs without her saying a
word) and the self-effacing geniality she lends Louise helps make her
performance so superb. As the character who functions as narrator, she is so
fantastic that she almost steals the entire show, easily deserving the standing
ovation she shared with her co-star on opening night.
Only the winsome work of Julia Kay Laskowski as the charismatic Cline could keep
up with Sweeney’s performance. Laskowski is almost a perfect incarnation of the
singer, belting out hit after hit throughout the show, turning in vocal work
that captures both the spirit and the sound of this country music legend.
Cline’s deep sound was a unique mix of gravel, twang, opera, warble, honky-tonk
and straightforward blues that managed to be both raw and smooth at the same
time, weaving hope and heart and heartbreak into her many hits — and Laskowski
has the chops to recreate this complex style with every single inflection in
place.
From the uptempo “Honky Tonk Merry Go Round” and “Back in Baby’s Arms” to the
classics “Anytime,” “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “I Fall To Pieces,” Laskowski
superbly showcases her ability to channel Cline, and those are just the first
five songs in Act One. Her fine work continues with hits that include “It Wasn’t
God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “You Belong To Me” and
“San Antonio Rose,” then closes the first act with “Lovesick Blues.” Act Two
sounds just as good, including “Sweet Dreams,” She’s Got You,” “Crazy,” “Faded
Love” and a host of other popular songs, and these are done with the same mix of
aw-shucks folksiness and grace that Cline would have given them.
It is an amazing performance, simply put, and the low-pitched backup vocals of
Patricia Rabaza (who also conducts and plays keyboards) add even more texture to
the sound, which is simply perfect.
Current and future fans of Cline’s music need this show on their must-see list.
Sweeney and Laskowski are a terrific pair of performers and they create a show
that is truly fantastic. Don’t miss the chance to see it.