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‘Always … Patsy Cline’ @ 14th Street Playhouse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. Grade: B
We all like to imagine that we could be friends with the artists we admire. I don’t mean painters, because pictures can be remote. Or movie stars, because they are often too grandiose to come down from the clouds.
I’m talking about singers. Earthy lounge acts. Cabaret divas. Those big-band canaries of yesteryear. Even the occasional “American Idol” contender. Because singing can be, should be, intimate and emotionally revealing. As tender and personal as a whisper. Or a kiss.
Patsy Cline oozed the kind of realness that makes those who are unhappy or unlucky in love feel less alone —- and Ted Swindley’s “Always … Patsy Cline” captures the way one Cline fan charmed her way into the heart of the big-voiced, Virginia-born songbird who died in a plane crash in 1963.
Backed by a terrific six-piece band, “Always” has parked itself at the 14th Street Playhouse to bodacious effect. Directed by the playwright himself and starring Cindy Summers as Patsy and Gwen Hughes as her ingratiating admirer, Louise, it’s a top-notch production that feels as warm and welcoming as the cozy ’50s dinette set where the two friends gather for a late-night plate of bacon and eggs.
Though Hughes has been a busy jazz singer around town for years, here she gets to unveil a comedic side that’s as vivid and unruly as her character’s orange-hennaed hair. To be honest, her big-as-Texas performance is so over-the-top and her twang so exaggerated that they take a little getting used to. At the other end of the spectrum, Summers is so well put together that she reminds you more of a daytime soap queen than a pint-size country gal.
Yet somehow, Summers’ exquisite control and Hughes’ warp-speed physicality make surprisingly compatible bedfellas. With her clenched smile, coy winks and dynamic renderings of the Cline repertoire, Summers seduces the audience without lifting a pinky, while Hughes bulldozes the crowd with her molasses-thick accent and Lucy-at-the-honky-tonk shtick. One small caveat: Though Cline died at 30, Summers seems to have overshot that number by at least a decade. Yet done up in an endless wardrobe of sequins and fringe (costumes are by Summers and Sandra Payne), she does more than just channel Patsy Cline. Wearing the confidence of her own remarkable talent as snugly as Patsy’s pink skirt, she’s pure radiance and charisma.
Like “Ain’t Misbehavin’, ” “Always … Patsy Cline” —- based on the true story of Cline and her friend Louise Seger —- is more than just a musical revue. It’s a bighearted, crowd-pleasing entertainment that suggests celebrities are often just regular people, hungry for the human touch.
THE 411: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 4 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays (no shows April 8). Through April 22. $39.50-$55. 14th Street Playhouse, 173 14th St., Midtown. 404-733-4750, woodruffcenter.org/14thstplayhouse.
THE VERDICT: You’d be crazy for not trying to catch it.
Comments
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By Flo Jean
April 6, 2007 1:21 PM | Link to this
Cindy Summers is flawless as Patsy. I urge everyone who likes Patsy Cline to see this show. In fact anyone who likes today’s country music should see the show to see how it’s supposed to be done. Those of you listening to crap like Rascall Flatts and Toby Keith have no idea.