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Regional Reviews: Philadelphia Always... Patsy Cline
Ted Swindley's play is not, despite its title, the story of Cline's life. It's the story of Louise Seger, a Texas housewife who saw Cline performing on TV in 1957 and, like much of America, was immediately captivated: "I never forgot that voice, and I never forgot the feeling it gave me." Patsy's soothing, heartfelt singing helped Louise get through a divorce and other tough times in her life. In 1961 Seger attended a Cline concert and bonded with the singer, filling in as Patsy's manager for the night and even letting Patsy sleep over at her house. Although they only spent about twelve hours together, the two stayed in touch by mail—with Patsy signing her letters "Always... Patsy Cline"—until the singer's death two years later in a plane crash. And that's about it. It's a sweet little story, but as the foundation for a two-hour show, it's pretty slight. It might be more substantial if the story were dramatized better, but Louise spends more time talking to the audience than talking to Patsy. We're told about how the two ladies connected, but there's very little dialogue between them to depict the bonding. And while Louise's character is fleshed out, Patsy is barely a presence in what is ostensibly her own story. Which is a shame, because Patsy's life story is a lot more interesting than Louise's. Things go better when Louise shuts up and lets Patsy sing, yet we're never told why Cline was so important. There's no explanation of how Cline bridged country and pop, bringing her own style to material from the worlds of gospel, jazz, bluegrass and rock. We're never told why she was so different from any performer who came before her, or how her introduction of elegant phrasing into traditional music was such an important stylistic leap forward. Instead, we get Louise repeatedly telling us how she always wished she could sing like Patsy did. Well, duh. Jo Twiss has long made a specialty of colorful, boisterous characters, and she goes all out as Louise, conversing with the audience and even pulling a man out of the crowd to dance with her. She's suitably affable, even though director Susan D. Atkinson lets her mug way too much. But Jessica Wagner is superb as Cline, capturing the star's onstage warmth and replicating every scoop and sob of her vocal style perfectly. The five-piece band, led by keyboardist Ryan Touhey, plays well, but the rich harmonies of the Jordanaires, featured on so many of Cline's records, are sorely missed. (The musicians do harmonize, weakly, on one number.) If you don't mind seeing a play that's actually a tribute concert, Always... Patsy Cline isn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours. But I'd much rather see a show about Patsy Cline that's actually about Patsy Cline. Always... Patsy Cline runs through February 22, 2015, at Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, Pa. Tickets start at $25, with discounts available for students, military and groups, and are available by calling the box office at 215-785-0100 or online at www.BRTStage.org.
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