Always…Patsy Cline by Ted Swindley, onstage at Metro Theatre until January 14th, is a heartwarming musical celebration of friendship and music. Presented with First Impressions Theatre which is celebrating its 40th Anniversary by taking its favourite productions on the road.
Based on true events, Always…Patsy Cline tells the story through the eyes of Louise Seger, a fan turned friend of Patsy Cline. As Louise reminisces about first hearing her music, then meeting and striking up a fast but lifelong friendship with the singer that lasted through letters and phone calls up to the singers tragic death in a plane crash.
With equal parts Lucy + Reba, Tiffany Bishop is captivating as Louise. As the storyteller, Louise is has 98% of the dialogue throughout the show, sharing her memories with down-home Southern charm and gusto. Colleen Rae Lornie embodies her role as Patsy Cline, which 98% sung, the bits of dialogue coming from her onstage banter with her band; the five-piece Bodacious Bobcats. Musicians Shawn Salsiccioli, Mark Richardson, Stanley Tsang, Emma Thorpe, and Kate Johnson are onstage throughout the performance adding real concert feel to Patsy’s music. With the bulk of the show told at the Houston honky-tonk when the ladies met and connected, the audience is brought into the show to play ‘the audience’. Louise and Patsy both interact with patrons, as they clap along and maybe even get up to dance!
Despite being the only two performers in front of the band, the actors fill the Metro stage and Michael Smith’s simply and versatile set. Director Michelle Thorne guides a show that is as equally energetic as calming. Tiffany Bishop’s Louise is a bundle of energy with her happy memories of Cline bursting out of her anxious to be shared. In her third turn as the singer, Bishop is countered by Colleen Rae Lornie’s calm, cool country demeanor as she perfectly performs of some of the best loved country crossover classics. Twenty-seven songs in all, including; Crazy, I Fall To Pieces, Sweat Dreams, Walkin’ After Midnight, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Stupid Cupid, Shake Rattle and Roll and many more make Always…Patsy Cline concert/musical you don’t want to miss.
Always…Patsy Cline is on stage at Metro Theatre, 1370 SW Marine Drive, until January 14, 2024. Tickets are available online