Always...
Patsy Cline

created by Ted Swindley
based on the book by Ellis Nassour

This beautiful memory of the popular singer is told by her real-life friend and number-one fan. Their chance meeting sparked a lasting relationship that ended with the tragic accident that took the singer's life at the height of her career. The charming story is told in vignettes, punctuated by Cline's biggest hit songs. You don't have to be a country music fan to be swept up in this show's warmth and humor.

 Martin Hendrickson directed this show, with Liz Stewart Boswell as musical director.

 

"Crazy" for Cline

Director Marty Hendrickson broke one of his cardinal rules when choosing to direct Always... Patsy Cline.

"I've never seen it. It broke one of my cardinal rules - I rarely will do a show unless I've seen it or it's one of those like The Nerd - where you don't have to see it, you can visualize it so easily. With this show, I didn't have a clue what it was about or how you stage it. I stepped out on a limb with this one, it sounded so unique I wanted to do it.

"What I really liked about this play is that it is a different from the norm - I didn't want to do Hello, Dolly or those kind of musicals. This is a combination live performanace/concert wrapped around a play or a play wrapped around it - however you want to look at it. It seemed that it didn't fit all the other genres. It seemed very unique."

Because of this combination play/concert aspect of the show, rehearsals were not as easy as those for more typical shows. "Because there are twenty seven songs, basically a concert in the show, we had to spend half our time practicing the songs and the band learning to play together at the same time...they'd never played together, the ensamble. So they had to learn the music and then learn it with Patsy singing.

"And then on my off nights we had to block the show and not do the songs, but do the acting part and say 'Okay, we'll sing right here and then at the end the song we'll go do this.' So it was a little more complicated, we had to do that back and forth, and it felt strange becasue you are only doing half the show at any one rehearsal. We didn't really put it together until two weeks before we opened and it just blew us away. We just couldn't believe how it just fit together and it fell into place. And we had been thinnking it was going to be so technical - stop, break, band here's what happens here. But they just played along, heard their cue and started the song. It worked alot better than I thought was going to, but that was the difficult part.

"To me Patsy Cline's music is really Louise's memory, her songs seem to live in her cranium. As she says, 'I still call the radio station and I still request her songs'. One of the band members asked me what the time period is for the band? Where are we? I said, 'You don't exist. You're a band that exists in Lousie's mind and you are not in 1961 because she is remembering from years and years before. You're there whenever she is thinking about it - whether it is from a couple of years before to twenty years before.'"

"I'm very happy with the show. I think our audience is going to love this show. It's a good season opener and it's lots of fun."

 Cast:

 Patsy Cline  Melanie Boswell Boso
 Louise Seger  Bunnie Hibbard
 The Bodacious Bobcat Band
  
 Ray Bob, lead guitar  Kelly Hundley
 Roy Bob, bass  David Goldflies
 Bob Bob, drums  Steve Henley
 Barbara Bob, piano  Barbara Monachelli
 Junior Bob, fiddle  Matt Miller
 Jim Bob, fiddle  Adam Purvis
 Betty Bob, fancy keyboard  Liz Stewart Boswell

Playing Patsy and Louise

Thirteen years ago, in a Key West bar, it was fated that Melamie Boswell Boso would eventually play the role of Patsy Cline.

"Thirteen years ago, my husband and I took a vacation to Key West and found this little bar with karaoke. I'd never seen karaoke before so I was introduced to it. There were all these TVs and it was like music videos, but no one was singing. We had just done Best Little Whorehouse and he had heard me sing there so he talked me into getting up and signing. The first song I did was a Patsy Cline song, it was "Crazy." When I got back to the table, he said, 'Damn, I didn't know you could sing.' I said 'yaaa.' and he said, 'No, I mean really sing. I know I've heard you sing the Broadway stuff, but this is like real music.' and I said, 'ya.' On our way home from that vacation, he decided that I shouldn't be a secretary, I should be performing. So a month later I quit my job and began my career as a musician. I think Patsy was there to guide me, so personally it's like we are connected."

It seemed almost everyone who came to audition for this show wanted to play the title role of Patsy Cline. Instead Marty Hendrickson offered Bunnie Hibbard the role of Louise, a role she has come to love and appreciate.

"I admit the first time I read the script during play selection I thought 'whoever plays her (Louise) is crazy because there are so many lines! So I just kind of blew it off and I really wanted Patsy because music and lyrics to me are just so much easier to learn. So I went to auditions and everything and Marty had me read Louise and I started to think Louise would be pretty interesting. The second night of auditions he had me read Louise and I went 'Hmmm.' But when he called me I was completely floored. I really was floored that he wanted me to play Louise. I really thought Ann (Newman) would have it because she did a really wonderful read. It has been a challenge, but I've really enjoyed it."

  Backstage and Technical crew:

 Stage Manager  Alicia Duncan
 Stage Crew  Alicia Duncan, Jayne Layne
 Lighting Design  Martin Hendrickson
 Lighting Technician  Martin Hendrickson
 Sound Technician  Nicki Hibbard

Others who have contributed time, labor and skills to the successful completion of this play:

 Set Design  Martin Hendrickson, Bunnie Hibbard
 Set Construction  Martin Hendrickson, Bunnie Hibbard, Nicki Hibbard, Crystal Hibbard, Tim Hibbard, Bryan Hibbard
 Costume Construction  Jayne Layne, the cast
 Photography  John Webster, Matt Cole (Colius Studios)

And special thanks to the Martin Theatre for its cooperation in the production of this play.

Song List

Honky Tonk Merry Go Round
Frank Simon/Stan Gardner, Acuff Rose Music, Inc.

Back In Baby's Arms
Bob Montgomery, Talmont Music, Inc.

Anytime
Herbert Happy Lawson, Unichappel Music, Inc.

Walkin' After Midnight
Don Hecht/Alan Block, Acuff Rose Music, Inc.

I Fall To Pieces
Hank Cochran/Harlan Howard, Sony/Tree Publishing, Inc.

It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
J.D. Miller, Peer International Co.

Come On In (And Sit Right Down)
V.F. "Pappy" Stewart, Acuff Rose Music, Inc.

Your Cheatin' Heart
Hank Williams, Sr., Acuff Rose Music, Inc./Warner Chappell

Stupid Cupid
Neil Sedaka/Howard Greenfield, EMI Music Publishing

You Belong To Me
King/Price/Stewart, Ridgeway Music

I Love You, Honey
Eddie Miller/W.S. Stevenson, Acuff Rose Music, Inc.

Lovesick Blues
Irving Mills/C.Friend, EMI Music Publishing

She's Got You
Hank Cochran, Sony/Tree Publishing Co.

Sweet Dreams
Don Gibson, Acuff Rose Music, Inc.

 Three Cigarettes In An Ashtray
Eddie Miller/W.S. Stevenson, Acuff Rose Music, Inc.

Crazy
Willie Nelson, Sony/Tree Publishing

Seven Lonely Days
Earl Schuman/Walden Schuman/Marshall Brown, Music Sales Corp.

If I Could See The World
(Through The Eyes Of A Child)
Sammy Masters/Richard Pope, MCA Publishing

Just A Closer Walk
(Traditional)

Blue Moon Of Kentucky
Bill Monroe, Peer International, Inc.

Gotta Lotta Rhythm
Barbara Ann Vaughn/W.S. Stevenson, Acuff Rose Music, Inc.

Shake, Rattle and Roll
Charles Calhoun, Unichappel Music, Inc.

Faded Love
John Wills/Bob Wills, Warner Chappell

How Great Thou Art
(Traditional)

True Love
Cole Porter, Warner Chappell

If You've Got Leavin' On Your Mind
Wayne Walker/Webb Pierce, Polygram International

Bill Bailey
(Traditional)