Review: "Always...Patsy Cline" Hits All the Right Notes
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Tribute stage productions can be tricky at best, so when the Mill Town Players announced they were taking on “Always…Patsy Cline” at their Simpsonville Arts Center location, I approached the show with both a little hope and much trepidation.
But under the direction of Will Ragland, and with a cast and musicians that move seamlessly between musical numbers and storyline, it not only works, it sings.
As with most of Ragland’s production, the staging is spot on, this time with an exacting minimalism that takes the audience from the Grand Ole Opry to the kitchen of a divorced mother of two in Texas with an aplomb that is never distracting.
The heart of the concert/play, centers on the relationship between Cline and Louise Seger, a fan-turned-friend after a singer encounter at a club in Texas in 1961.
Those familiar with the work of Katie Rockwell, who plays Cline, will not be surprised that her vocal performance here is among her best. But Rockwell brings more than a big voice, and make no mistake she has a big voice, she transforms into the late singer, not only with her remarkably similar looks but with vocal licks that bring a nuance to Cline’s hits without ever turning it into an outright impersonation. Rockwell’s voice rises and almost drops off in the lower register, something that appears vocally throughout Cline’s own recordings.
Plowing through a set list that includes country, gospel and rock and roll, Rockwell channels Cline with a ferociousness that is part Patsy Cline and part Big Mama Thornton. A little more of Rockwell’s growl would have been welcome on Cline’s own studio records. Live performances suggested Patsy had a similar growling intensity, but it never shows up on her country albums.
The set list is concert long, 27 songs in all, covering a lot of territory. The band was more than fine, they were tighter than a pair of stretch pants after a Thanksgiving dinner. Not only were their musical chops right on time, they also contributed to the action without getting in the way.
Ragland makes a point of having good, live musicians on stage for his productions, and he hit a home run with this group.
Meanwhile Kelly Wallace’s Houston single mom hits all the right notes with a driven to almost over the top sassiness. Her transformation from Patsy Cline fan, who pestered a local radio disc jockey with never-ending requests to play Patsy’s music, to someone who became a friend of the famed singer after a single meeting, drives the action (literately at times in her pink Pontiac she calls Sexy Dude). Wallace relishes the irreverence of the character, bringing the audience along for the ride with a sly attitude that comes close to, but never actually winks at the crowd.
When Wallace breaks the fourth wall but leaving stage to dance with a man in the front row during one of Patsy’s songs, and kudos to whomever that man was for playing along with panache, if feels a natural part of the show.
The playfulness between Rockwell and Wallace is often amusing and always warm. Their friendship, cemented in a single night and then fed for the next two years with letters and phone calls, feels authentic.
From Seger’s memories of first seeing Patsy on “The Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts Show” in 1957, to her pathos upon hearing of her friend’s death in a plane crash in 1963, she never wanes in her devotion to the singer.
Their story is also one fed by the songs Cline recorded, which often offer echoes of the lives of both women.
Though Cline did not write any of her hits, her choice of material and those recordings remain iconic. As a result, ten years following her death, she became the first female solo artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
By the time of her death at age 30, she had recorded such classics as “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “Stupid Cupid,” “Crazy,” and “I Fall To Pieces,” all of which are included in the nearly two-hour show.
And Rockwell and the band deliver on every note.
I say again, the play’s “Bodacious Bobcats Band,” led by guitarist Larry Rockwell, deserve generous praise for the success of this production. Buddy Culbertson’s pedal steel guitar work shines bright both in the prelude to the play and the concert numbers.
Lighting designer John King also earns special attention here for the great look of “Always…Patsy Kline.” The subtle use of lighting during the musical numbers in particular brought the concert stage to life.
A strong cast, excellent director, a stellar band, a fine set and good lighting make the Mill Town Players production of “Always…Patsy Cline” both engaging and entertaining.
The play continues through March 19 at the Simpsonville Arts Center.