Always...Patsy Cline

The Downtown Cabaret bring a variety of shows to their stage, many of which are the tried and true musical comedy standards, others are distinctly off-beat. Always...Patsy Cline is certainly a departure, for instead of a cast of many, this true story of a famous country singer uses only two women, albeit backed by a six-piece orchestra. Displaying a lusty contralto, brunette Cindy Summers, exquisitely costumed in sequins and fringe by Lesley Neilson Bowman, gives an amiable performance as Patsy Cline; this young woman from Virginia, after struggling for ten years in seedy roadhouses and school gyms, won the contest in 1957 on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts, singing "Walkin' after Midnight." Years followed, and just as she had her big recording break, she was permanently disfigured in a car crash, a point upon which the play never touches. She recovered and starred in Las Vegas, The Hollywood Bowl, and The Grand Ole Opry; in 1963, following a benefit in Kansas City, she was on a plane - loaded with country music talent -- lost in a crash. Patsy Cline, married and the mother of two, was only 31 years old!

Even though she has been dead for 36 years, her album went gold in 1985, platinum in 1987 and multi-platinum in 1991. On juke boxes her recording of "Crazy," written by Willie Nelson, is the most popular single in the nation, and "Walkin' After Midnight," written by Don Hecht and Alan Block, is still in the top ten worldwide. All of this is dramatic stuff, but in the hands of playwright Ted Swindley seems rather bland. To help tell the story, he employs a best friend, Louise Seger, played by the spunky Misty Rowe, whose own life and 25 year career in show biz reads like a daytime soap opera. In big blond hair and clinging green tights, Rowe works diligently not only in the part of the young divorced mother who falls in love with Patsy and her voice on the radio, but many other women and men as well. She also goes out into the audience to flirt and dance with the enthusiastic patrons.

If you are a Cline aficionado and are satisfied with over 25 renditions of songs like, "I Fall to Pieces," (Hank Cochran/Harlan Howard), "Your Cheatin' Heart," (Hank Williams Sr.), and "You Belong to Me," which was really made famous by Patti Paige, then this may be enough to make you happy. Theatrically, it leaves something to be desired.