BWW Reviews: Stages' ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE - A Fantastic, Fun Fan Favorite

Ted Swindley, the Founding Artistic Director of Stages Repertory Theatre, based his 1988 musical ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE on the true friendship between Patsy Cline and Louise Seger. He used a section from the Patsy Cline biography Honky Tonk Angel and the actual letters that Louise Seger received from Patsy Cline to give the audience an up-close look at Patsy Cline's down-to-earth, everyday life. The musical chronicles their chance encounter at The Esquire Ballroom in Houston in 1961, and their close friendship that ran from May 1961 until the singer's untimely death in March 1963.

Ted Swindley's writing captures the vibe of the Texas Tall Tale, allowing Louise Seger to narrate the story to the audience. We get the chance to experience their friendship through her eyes all while enjoying the revue style Patsy Cline concert that is the basis for the show. Moreover, the dialogue is crisp with Southern wit and deliciously Texan in vernacular.

Producing Artistic Director, Kenn McLaughlin's direction of the piece never drags or gets dull. He has directed the two actresses and even the band to be vibrant characters that burst with life and contagious energy. Patsy Cline is presented reverently, fulfilling every aspect of the public image that the title "Honky Tonk Angel" would conjure. We see a woman with a passion for performing well and a big heart. While it may seem that Louise Seger is a caricature of the stereotypical Texan woman, she very well may be based in truth. I'll defy Houston audiences to not know someone who is just as brash, loud, comical, warm, and loving as Louise Seger is portrayed in this production.

Steven Jones' Musical Direction is spot-on accurate. He has directed his band to recreate the sounds of 60s pop country perfectly. Likewise, he has directed Melodie Smith to immaculately imitate the vocal stylings of Patsy Cline, recreating as authentic as possible Patsy Cline performances for audiences who see the show.

Melodie Smith allows the memory of Patsy Cline to completely embody her performance as the titular character. With well-chosen wigs, makeup, and well-made costumes, she looks like Patsy Cline and deftly utilizes a set of sophisticated Southern mannerisms to portray a young starlet with a tangible passion for performance. Melodie Smith's Patsy Cline is grounded yet charismatic. The audience will fall in love with the simplicity of the woman who takes Louise Seger up on the offer to enjoy a simple down-home night versus living life large in her Downtown Houston Hotel room at the Montagu, the borderline swank hotel of Downtown Houston from 1913 through the early 1960s and Houston's first hotel to offer private bathrooms in every room. Melodie Smith blew away opening night's audience, performing in strong voice with a brilliant timbre and belt. She also sings every song with engrossing and invigorating vocals that faithfully and respectfully impersonate Patsy Cline's own voice. Audiences who remember seeing Patsy Cline on television or in concert may very well think that Patsy Cline is in the room with them again watching Melodie Smith's pristine performance.

As Louise Seger, Susan Koozin's sense of humor and fantastically sharp sense of comedic timing is comfortably and perfectly at home. Susan Koozin breathes wondrous and hilarious life into Louise, making certain that every member of the audience gets hooked on her addictively showy personality. We all know a woman just like Susan Koozin's Louise Seger, and there is no denying that Susan Koozin's Louise is the life of the party. Susan Koozin delivers Louise Seger's witty one-liners (i.e. "Hal fell through his asshole and hung himself. Creates quite a picture don't it?") with skillful precision and her bodily mannerisms when conducting the band through her favorite Patsy Cline tunes or when "tooling around" in Sexy Dude easily bring down the house with peals of riotous laughter.

Kevin Holden's Scenic & Lighting Design for this production of ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE is stellar. The bandstand portion of the set, is subtly evocative of barn-style dancehalls. Yet, well-hidden strung lights placed along the edges of the wooden panels can be illuminated to recreate the appearance of The Grand Ol' Opry. Likewise, the wood is left unpainted so his lighting design can deftly change the color of the backdrop and the cyclorama behind it to reflect the mood of the song or the location of the performance with ease. Downstage, around the two poles, he has cleverly recreated a bar table and Louise Seger's kitchen. Both are marvelously detailed and highly telling of their locations. For the most part, his lighting is reminiscent of concert lighting, uses bright hues and flashy displays of lights to keep the stage warm and dazzling. Each element is strong on its own, but paired together creates a radiant and beautiful performance space for the production.

Costume Design by Katherine Snider impressively recreates the fashions of the time period with ease. Each piece looks fantastic and is undoubtedly time appropriate.

Yezminne Zepeda's Sound Design mixes the live band, vocals, and dialogue with stunning and striking clarity. Nothing is lost and every sound is perfectly balanced for audience enjoyment.

Property Design by Jodi Bobrovsky also captures the time period with skillful precision. Nothing looks out of place and aides in fully completing the picture for the audience.

ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE is one of Stages Repertory Theatre's prized productions, and the current revival magnificently showcases why Houston audiences so fondly flock to the show. If you haven't ever seen it on stage before, I strongly suggest that you do whatever you can to obtain tickets. For the first time in Stages Repertory Theatre history, the current production of ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE sold so well that it was extended before opening night even happened. Yet, tickets are still going fast!

ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE runs on Stages Repertory Theatre's Arena Stage through June 23, 2013. For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.stagestheatre.com or call (713) 527 - 0123.

All photos by Bruce Bennett. Courtesy of Stages Repertory Theatre.

Melodie Smith as Patsy Cline & Susan Koozin as Louise Seger

Susan Koozin as Louise Seger & Melodie Smith as Patsy Cline.