Director's Notes
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
DIRECTOR’S NOTES Thoughts on ALWAYS… PATSY CLINE Patsy Cline is a singular voice on the landscape of American music. Her inescapable emotion and raw power, coupled with her timeless melodies, continue to make fans of people from all generations and walks of life. And though it is 50 years since Patsy’s untimely passing, she is a bona fide phenomenon who has joined that rarified firmament of genre and era-transcending singers such as Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Elvis Presley–remarkable considering the fact that all but one of her classics were recorded within a 15-month period, and her entire body of work consists of barely over 100 tracks. Patsy didn’t write her own material, she simply took over every song she sang with a depth of understanding as profound as it was natural. Born Virginia Patterson Hensley in 1932, Patsy began singing in front of people while still in high school in Winchester, Virginia. But in 1957 (the year of her divorce from 1st husband Gerald Cline) Decca Records issued “Walkin’ After Midnight,” a song Patsy had first introduced on the nationally televised “Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts” show. Patsy’s rendition not only soared to #2 on the country charts, it miraculously crossed over to the pop charts, bringing the little-known cowgirl a passel of “big-city” acclaim. This feat was followed a few years later in 1960 with Patsy’s recording of “I Fall To Pieces” which she turned into one of the most memorable performances of the 20th century. The record went straight to #1 on the country charts, peaked at #12 on the pop charts, and permanently lodged itself in the collective consciousness. Nine months later, Patsy duplicated this achievement with her striking interpretation of “Crazy,” composed by a young up-and-comer named Willie Nelson. Even more remarkable than her unforgettable performance, however, is that Patsy recorded the song just 2 months after a head-on collision in which she was thrown through the windshield of her brother’s car, suffering facial lacerations, a dislocated hip, and a broken wrist, which kept her in the hospital for 5 weeks. “Crazy” became Patsy’s lone top-10 pop hit and is said to be the most-played jukebox single of all time. Sadly, Patsy’s 15 months of flat-out brilliance ended abruptly on March 6, 1963, when a private plane that also carried her manager, Randy Hughes, crashed en route to Nashville from a date in Kansas City. But characteristically, the handful of recordings Patsy left after her death included the unforgettable “Sweet Dreams” (which came out five weeks after her death) and the heart-breaking ballad “Faded Love”. The name of the musical play you are about to see actually borrows its title from a series of letters that Patsy sent to a Houston fan, Louise Seger, in which Patsy signed “(Love) Always … Patsy Cline.” Written in 1988 by Ted Swindley, Always… Patsy Cline is based on the true story of Patsy’s friendship with Louise, who met and befriended the star at the Esquire Ballroom in 1961 and continued a correspondence with Patsy until her death at the age of 30. The show had its world premiere at Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston, its Off-Broadway debut in 1997, and has been staged all over the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Plans have just been announced for a Broadway run this summer to star Crystal Bowersox and Annette O’Toole. Clearly, Patsy’s musical legacy lives on! Enjoy!! 19 MECH '13 STAGES Playbill.indd 21 5/15/13 5:30 PM.