Seacoast Repertory Theatre to Present A CLOSER WALK WITH PATSY CLINE, Opening 3/27

Portsmouth native and Broadway touring veteran Merrill Peiffer will play the starring role on home turf in the Seacoast Repertory Theatre's production of the musical A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, opening March 27. The musical tells the story of one of country music's brightest stars with the songs she made famous, a live band and the folksy sounds of country radio.

Pasty Cline had premonitions that her life would not be long. A plane crash in 1963 sadly proved her right. But in her brief 30 years she traveled from "the wrong side of the tracks" to stardom, driven by a torch singer's voice and a determination that broke down country music's gender barrier. Cline was the first female solo artist selected for the Country Music Hall of Fame and she helped make Willie Nelson famous with her recording of "Crazy." Like Taylor Swift, who cites her influence, she showed youthful promise and her talent earned her mainstream recognition as one of her era's greatest stars.

A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline depicts the singer's rise from a small-town radio station and a roadhouse saloon to The Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall. It is told through her hit songs including "Crazy," "I Fall to Pieces," and "Sweet Dreams." A country-radio DJ called Little Big Man helps tell her story, weaving in news of the era, commercial jingles and corny jokes.

The Seacoast Rep faced a tough casting challenge from Cline's estate: the lead performer had to display "Patsy's vocal and emotional range." The theater found her in its own back yard with Peiffer, who spent 1 ½ years on the road in the Broadway touring production of "Mamma Mia!" Peiffer is also at home at the Seacoast Rep, where she has appeared in several productions.

"Every time I've gotten to see Merrill perform, it feels real. That's what she is going to bring to Patsy. Her voice is unbelievable," said Miles Burns, Interim Artistic Director at the Seacoast Rep. "One of the nicest things about Patsy's story is that she was and remains a real, feeling person. I think that's what the audience is looking for, somebody who is like that."

The play is the second production in what promises to be a richly varied 2015 season for the Seacoast Rep, Burns said. "The cool thing about A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline is that it's concert music, it's songs we all know, and we get to know a lot more about Patsy Cline."

The production also stars Chris Bradley as Little Big Man. It is directed by Seacoast Rep veteran John James Pirroni. Local musicians will play on stage as Patsy's band.

A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline runs Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm from March 27 to April 26. Tickets are available through the Seacoast Rep Box Office, or online at www.seacoastrep.org. The 2015 Seacoast Repertory Theatre's Season is sponsored in part by Bondgarden Farms, New Hampshire Public Television, and Portsmouth Public Media.

Tickets are $22-$38 and $12 with a valid student ID.