Review: ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE at Bristol Riverside Theater

Pasty Cline joins the ranks of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, Janice Joplin and many more whose fame far outlived their young untimely deaths. The story is written by Ted Swindley and based on true events that give the play some dramatic structure: In 1961, Houston housewife Louise Seger played perfectly by Bristol favorite Jo Twiss, and a group of her friends show up early to hear Patsy Cline (sweet-voiced Jessica Wagner) in a solo concert.

By chance, the singer arrives early as well and strikes up a conversation with Seger.
Having first heard Cline on the 'Arthur Godfrey Show' in 1957, Seger became an immediate and avid fan of Cline's and she constantly hounded the local disc jockey to play Cline's records on the radio.

The two women struck up a friendship that was to culminate in Cline spending the night at Seger's house. Over a pot of strong coffee, the two women chatted about their common concerns. When Cline finally left for Dallas, her next job, the two women had exchanged addresses and telephone numbers. Seger never expected to hear from Cline again, but soon after she left, Seger received the first of many letters and phone calls from Cline. The pen-pal relationship provides much of the plot of the show. The two women develop a friendship that results in an exchange of letters over the next two years, right up to the plane crash that claimed the lives of Cline, and fellow country stars Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and her manager/pilot/guitarist Randy Hughes.

The two-act play moves back and forth in time, from the first moment Seger heard Cline's voice on the radio to the singer's death. But it's really all about the music. And there's plenty of it-over two dozen songs, from the Willie Nelson classic "Crazy," to Cline's lesser known work like the melancholy "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray," and even a few hymns.
As Patsy, actress Jessica Wagner knows her way around the music. She is especially effective during Cline's "heartbreak" songs like "Faded Love," or "She's Got You." Yet she belts with the best on something like "Honky Tonk Angels." Seger supplies a narrative while Cline floats in and out of the set singing tunes that made her famous--Anytime, Walkin' After Midnight, She's Got You, Sweet Dreams, and Crazy--to name a few.

The show combines humor, sadness and reality. It offers fans who remember Cline while she was alive a chance to look back, while giving new fans an idea of what seeing her was like and what she meant to her original fans.

Bristol's sets are a simple clever combination of a 1960's kitchen and in the background is the stage and orchestra pit. Kudos to the talented 5 pc band who bring all these heartfelt songs to life.

"Always...Patsy Cline" plays at the Bristol Riverside Theater, Bristol Pa through Feb. 22. For Tickets and Information visit www.brtstage.org or call 215.785.0100

Photo Credits: Mark Garvin