There’s a moment in Broadway Rose Theatre Company’s Always…Patsy Cline when an emerald light shines on Patsy (Sara Catherine Holder), the legendary country singer, while she sings the moody and mesmerizing “You Belong to Me.” Crowning her dark hair, the light also touches the shadows of her arms as they glide over the sequins on her sparkling white dress.
In short, the scene creates a visual magic that captures how Cline fans must have felt—and still feel today—about her remarkable voice, which made her the first female singer inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Those visuals—along with Holder’s soulful presence and singing, which embodies the emotional depth of Cline’s music (uncanny for a woman who died at 30)—are some of the pleasures of the sold-out, two-woman show that Broadway Rose is staging for the fourth time, with Holder and Sharon Maroney reprising their starring roles. Also returning is Chan Harris as director and a charismatic Barney Stein, the production’s music director, who also plays piano and conducts the onstage band.
The slender storyline of the play is based on a real relationship. As the narrator, Louise Seger (Maroney, who’s also Broadway Rose’s producing artistic director), explains that she was a Patsy fan as soon as she heard her singing on the Arthur Godfrey show in 1957. Louise, a tough-talking divorced mother who wears her hair styled in a brassy bouffant, is so moved by the music—and the elegant woman who sings it—that she begins calling her Houston radio station every day, demanding to hear more, until one night she meets her idol at a honky-tonk and the two of them become friends.
Created by Ted Swindley, the jukebox musical is packed with songs connected by Louise’s folksy narration. Amusing as Louise’s lines are, nothing beats the snap of Maroney’s comic timing, especially as she flashes the audience one of her many knowing looks. My favorite of these is when Louise is getting dressed for a night out and pulls a tube of lipstick from inside her blouse. Before applying it, she makes eye contact with the audience, as if to acknowledge it’s pretty weird to keep your lipstick tucked inside your bra, or wherever it was. On opening night, the appreciative packed house got the joke and responded with a hearty laugh.
While the narration doesn’t reveal much about Louise, we learn a lot about her from Gene Dent’s intimate set design. A space in the middle of the stage serves as the various locations where Patsy performs: With the help of projected wall decorations, it becomes everything from a black and white TV show to the red-barn Grand Ole Opry. Flanking this is Louise’s house, with a kitchen on one side and her living room on the other.
Those rooms, like their owner, have a lived-in look. The kitchen counter and shelves are cluttered with calico canisters and crockery. In the living room, we see layers of competing patterns, including a striped afghan stretched over the back of a blue plaid couch, with a buffalo plaid blanket folded on one end. There’s also a plate of food she’s left on the floor and cowboy boots lying half under the couch, which made me picture Louise having dinner in front of the TV before kicking off her shoes and falling asleep.
This setup suggests there’s a weariness beneath Louise’s feisty demeanor, an impression that’s supported by her first appearance on stage in a salmon chenille robe. There’s more to her than that, though: Louise also has a joyful way of connecting with others, stepping offstage at one point to sashay with a man from the audience and clinking a beer-bottle toast with Stein, who’s dressed in a plaid shirt and is seated with the band just behind the couch.
The play stirred my curiosity about Patsy. How, for instance, did she survive a childhood of deprivation and abuse to become a vocal artist who’s still revered more than six decades after her death in 1963? Louise says she and Patsy shared secrets, and I wondered what those secrets were. The aim of Always, though, is to entertain with broad, enjoyable strokes, and it does just that with the sure, professional touch Broadway Rose consistently delivers.
At the beginning of the play, Patsy is luminous in a pale pink suit, while Louise wears a loud blue shirt with her favorite rose-patterned pants. Later, Shana Targosz’s costume design tells another story, with the women both dressed in compatible pinks and shimmering metallic pants. The outfits reflect what we’ve already seen: These two appealing characters have bonded over their love of great songs. What more do we need to know?
***
Always…Patsy Cline is onstage through October 13 at the Broadway Rose New Stage, 12850 S.W. Grant Ave., Tigard. Although the show is sold out, you can check for cancellations or single seats by calling 503-620-5262.
A nominee for six Pushcart awards, Linda Ferguson writes poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews. Her latest chapbook, "Not Me: Poems About Other Women," was published by Finishing Line Press. As a creative writing teacher, she has a passion for building community and helping students explore new territory.
4 Responses
I could tell this review was written by someone who was well educated in exposition writing. I too, took that class in college and remember well, the different papers we were required to write. I’ve been writing songs and poetry since I was about 12 yrs. old, so now at 78, I have hundreds of songs filed away that have never been heard by the public. I have always done it as a hobby while imagining contemporary artist doing them. Reason being, I’ve been hard of hearing since I was a baby. Patsy Cline has always been one of my all-time favorite singers, so attending the play with my life-long friends, Nancy and Ralph Fear, was a major highlight of the decade. During one of the songs, I turned to Nancy and whispered, “I’m in love.” I joined the Nashville Songwriters Association back in the 90’s and have learned so much over the years, which also made me do a bunch of rewriting and editing of the many different kinds of my songs. I don’t mean to be tooting my own horn here, it’s just that my background has made me appreciate shows like this wonderful play so much more.
All it takes is 1 good song to make it big. Put your art out there maybe someone will come along sing your songs & your music can last forever! I too love Pasty Cline. I would be willing to sing your songs for you.
Hello Danielle, I just now looked at the review for the 2nd time, and saw your reply to my comment. I think I’ve been looking for someone like you for quite a long time, that I could work with to sing some of my songs. I live in Rufus, OR 25 miles east of The Dalles. I don’t know where you live, but being retired, I’m always willing to travel for a good cause. My email address is: kendavis91846@gmail.com and mailing address is P.O.Box 221 Rufus, OR 97050. I don’t do so well on the phone with my bad hearing, even with my hearing aids. I’ve written quite a few songs from a woman’s point of view, so something might work out pretty good. Hope to hear from you, — Ken
Hello Danielle, I just now looked at the review for the 2nd time, and saw your reply to my comment. I think I’ve been looking for someone like you for quite a long time, that I could work with to sing some of my songs. I live in Rufus, OR 25 miles east of The Dalles. I don’t know where you live, but being retired, I’m always willing to travel for a good cause. My email address is: kendavis91846@gmail.com and mailing address is P.O.Box 221 Rufus, OR 97050. I don’t do so well on the phone with my bad hearing, even with my hearing aids. I’ve written quite a few songs from a woman’s point of view, so something might work out pretty good. Hope to hear from you, — Ken