Review: ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE at Performing Artists Repertory Theatre Will Aways be a Favorite

I have always loved Patsy Cline. My mother loved Patsy. My father loved Patsy. Nearly everyone I knew loved this country singer with the contralto voice so distinguishable from all the others on the radio. Patsy Cline, within her six short years of performing left an indelible stamp on both country and pop music.

Always...Patsy Cline showing until August 19 at the Performing Artists Repertory Theatre (PART) in Omaha's Crossroads Mall is a heartfelt tribute to this legendary singer. "Always...Patsy Cline" was her signature in her correspondence with long time fan and close friend Louise Seger. In 1988 Ted Swindley produced this musical tribute to Patsy with the approval of the Patsy Cline estate. Always...Patsy Cline played sold out performances at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for more a year, and ran off-Broadway as well as across the U.S.

The story begins with the meeting of Louise Seger and the young singer Virgina Patterson Hensley, known as Patsy Cline, at the Esquire Ballroom in Houston in 1961. Louise formed a lasting friendship with her idol by inviting her to stay at her home that night and then getting her a radio interview the following morning. In asides to the audience conducted from her kitchen, Louise shares funny, and sometimes sad, stories of Patsy as the singer's career takes off.

PART under the direction of Gordon Cantiello has done a remarkable job presenting her story. The small cast puts all of the emotion and humor into a two hour music-packed evening consisting of 27 of Patsy's hits. These include favorites such as "Walkin' After Midnight," (the song that sprung Patsy into the spotlight on an Arthur Godfrey show), "I Fall to Pieces," "Sweet Dreams," "She's Got You," and "Crazy."

Jennifer Novak Haar directs an exceptional orchestra consisting drums, bass, electric/acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar, and a particularly fine fiddle (Holly Piccoli). Just the instrumental music alone would be worth the price of admission. It amazes me how Novak Haar can conduct while simultaneously playing the keyboard.

Kellyn Danae Wooten, reprising her role as Patsy Cline, is terrific. No, she is better than terrific. She captures the nuances and phrasing of Patsy's distinctive style. Her vocals are wonderful. Her presentation is fascinating. She is captivating as both an actress and a vocalist.

Her counterpart, Connie Lee, is a feisty Louise Seger. You just want to be her friend! Her humor in both words and physical actions appealed to the full house. This was an enthusiastic group that was undeniably loving every minute.

The Jordanaires: Bob Kropp, Matthew Kischer, Bernie McCoy and Gary Whalen add a pleasing touch with their backup harmonies. It is interesting to learn that the Jordanaires were Elvis Presley's backup vocalists, but that they also sang with Patsy Cline.

Thirty year old Patsy was killed in a plane crash on March 3, 1963 after premonitions of her own death. She was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 1973, the first solo female artist to attain this honor. According to Rolling Stones Magazine, Patsy Cline's "Greatest Hits" album was certified diamond when it sold over 10 million copies and it remains one of the best-selling country albums by a female artist, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the most weeks on the country charts for an album by a woman.

I have to confess that I choked up at the end of the show. Patsy Cline was something special and this cast is as well. I dragged out my own Patsy Cline CD collection and loaded the songs into my digital music library under "shuffle." I'll always love Patsy.

Always...Patsy Cline is running through August 19 at PART Theatre, 7400 Dodge St, Omaha. It's well worth a ticket, but get there early because it's going to be solidly packed a good half hour before showtime.

www.performingartistsrepertorytheatre.org

Photo courtesy of PART.