REVIEW ‘A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline’ Wayside Theatre Production Vividly Portrays the Winchester Singer’s Gentler Side By: F.C. Lowe The Winchester Star After living in Winchester for more than 30 years, one cannot escape the Patsy Cline factor. She lived here, she worked here, and she started her career here. Her songs still echo throughout some of her former haunts. The juke box at Lynette’s Triangle Diner in Winchester has many of Patsy’s hits still available for 25 cents a play. Her likeness still beams out of the window at Gaunt’s Drug Store where she worked. I thought I had heard it all and knew it all about her, but boy, was I surprised. A gentler, kinder Patsy was evident in the Wayside Theatre’s performance of Dean Regan”s “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline,” starring Morgan Duke. Every hit song of Patsy’s was expertly performed by Duke, who seemed to get better as the play unfolded. Duke had a spark and enthusiasm that drew the audience in and took them back to the honky-tonks where Cline thrived and the famous venues where she was invited to perform. The musical hits come to life as portrayed through her shows with musical direction by Steven Przybylski. The story of her musical career is told through a one-day tribute by her hometown radio station, WINC, on March 5, 1963, the day of her untimely death in a plane crash in Tennessee. Her strong determination to become a singer is evident as well as her caring for others. She performs in many benefits for other performers whether she knew the person or not. Even though Cline grows in prominence and begins to earn real fees for her performances, such as $6,300 for her Las Vegas show, she continues to be a regular on the Grand Ole Opry for $14 a performance. Being a regular has been one of her goals and she never lets it go even though the pay is paltry. The other characters in the performance are various radio announcers — such as Little Big Man from our very own WINC — an announcer at the Grand Ole Opry, and masters of ceremonies at Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall. All are hilariously portrayed and brought to life by Jim Fleming, who knows no bounds when it comes to humor and exaggeration. His quick jabs and one-liners, as well as his facial expressions and gestures, keep the audience totally engrossed in the story as he narrates the incidents in Patsy’s life. A band, positioned in the center of the stage, accompanies all of Patsy’s hits sung by Duke, who aptly interacts with the band much as Patsy probably would have done. Some of the band members are familiar to the Wayside stage, including Doug Arthur on bass and Rick Follette on guitar. They are joined by Doyle Schaeffer on drums, Rick Wilkins on piano, and David Artz on pedal steel guitar. Amanda Wilkins provides back-up vocals. Not one note is missed or any song played off tune. The list of hits is thorough, including the classics that have survived — even though Patsy didn’t. While the band is housed on the stage, slides are projected on the wall above the band through most of the show, giving a pictorial look at many events of her life. The sets by Michael “Jonz” Jones and lights by Kate Furst change from musical depictions of notes to glitzy lights for a Las Vegas stage and then for a re-enactment of a visit to Carnegie Hall. Radio commercial breaks add to the nostalgia of the show as familiar ditties and songs are played and pictures are projected. Mr. Clean, Ajax, Winstons, and Stanback come to life with jingles that bring it all back. Patsy’s tender side is revealed as she visibly shows concern about her husband, Charlie Dick, whose absence from a music session is questioned. Later in the show, her concern turns to relief as she sings “Back in Baby’s Arms.” The parade of costumes by Tamara M. Carruthers is a another surprise as the country western flair in the beginning of her career with rows of fringe and cowboy boots gives way to a sleeker, more fashionable Patsy. Dresses include a straight black floor-length number with a fur stole for shows in Las Vegas and a shorter hairdo for a more sophisticated Patsy. She easily portrays a glamorous figure as well as the average woman of the era. In addition, Patsy is shown as comfortably moving from small bars and radio stations to Las Vegas clubs and Carnegie Hall. The small town girl is at home on any stage anywhere. It is revealed that one of her famous hits, “Crazy,” written by Willie Nelson, is actually a tune she hates because her husband repeatedly played it over and over. The song makes it to the top of the charts, not only in country but also in pop venues, even though Patsy is not “crazy” about it. A closer walk in the title of the play is reinforced by the hymn “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” that Patsy sings after a near fatal car accident. I feel I have had “a closer walk with Patsy Cline” and encourage you to do the same by seeing this production. The music, the costumes, the humor, and the sets, all add up for an enjoyable, fascinating time. The play, directed by Warner Crocker, continues through March 28 at the theater in Middletown. The production is presented in conjunction with Celebrating Patsy Cline Inc., a local foundation dedicated to preserving her legacy. For information, call 869-1776.

Originally Published In The Winchester Star On February 6, 2004







WLC © 2005. All Rights Reserved.