TV: North Carolina Theatre's ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE

North Carolina Theatre will be presenting Always...Patsy Cline from January 20th-29th at A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater. I recently got to speak with the two stars of this production Carter Calvert and Two-Time Emmy Winner Sally Struthers.

Calvert is best known for originating her role in the Tony®-nominated Broadway musical It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues alongside Grammy® winning jazz vocalist Gregory Porter. She is featured on the cast recording and starred in the show's national tour. Other tours include the title role in Always...Patsy Cline opposite Sally Struthers, the featured role of 'Grizabella' in the Broadway national touring company of CATS, the European tour of Smokey Joe's Café, and an international tour of Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway. She's received accolades for her off-Broadway work in Forbidden Broadway: Comes Out Swinging and The Thing About Men. She has originated World Premiere roles in the musicals Forbidden Vegas, Sparkley Clean Funeral Singers and the Great American Trailer Park Musical. Her regional credits include IANBTB at Denver Center Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Crossroads Theatre Company, New Victory Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theater; Annie Get Your Gun (title role), Evita (title role) at Algonquin Arts, Sunday in the Park with George at Arena Stage, Unsung Cole (And Classics Too) and A Grand Night for Singing at Cleveland Playhouse; Honky Tonk Angels at Cincinnati Playhouse at the Park; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Theatre By The Sea; Kiss Me Kate at Theatre Under The Stars; and Pump Boys and Dinettes in Branson, Missouri. Carter has opened for iconic performers including Liza Minnelli, Marilyn McCoo, Chubby Checker and The Temptations. Her television credits include The David Letterman Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and The Today Show. She is an accomplished actress, as well as a popular voice-over artist. She's been featured in numerous national television and radio commercials. While still in high school, Downbeat Magazine named Carter "Best Female Jazz Vocalist" and Starsong Records has hailed her as "Best Female Vocalist of the Year." Ms. Calvert has been touring the globe as a headliner on the prestigious Crystal Cruise line as well headlining in clubs and theaters across the country with her solo shows, Viva La Diva & Walkin' After Midnight: A Tribute to Patsy Cline. As a recording artist, Carter Calvert and the Roger Cohen Trio debuted at number 13 on the CMJ jazz charts (beating out Paul McCartney!). Her latest CD, It's A Man's World, is climbing the charts, receiving rave reviews and extensive radio play. It is available for purchase in the theatre lobby, on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and at cartercalvert.com.

Struthers is a two-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner for her performance in the groundbreaking TV series All in the Family. She starred in the Fox television series 9 to 5 and her own CBS series Gloria. She also recurred on the CBS comedyStill Standing and the CW network's highly acclaimed Gilmore Girls. She joined the Gilmore cast for Netflix's new four movie limited revival, which will premiere in the fall of 2016. She recently guest starred in the acclaimed IFC comedy series Maron. Sally was heard as the voice of the teenage dinosaur "Charlene Sinclair" in the ABC prime-time series Dinosaurs. She is also the voice of "Pebbles Flintstone" on the Pebbles and Bam-Bam cartoon series and the lead female character on the popular Disney cartoon Tailspin. Ms. Struthers' television movies include: A Gun in the House, And Your Name is Jonah, The Great Houdinis, Hey...I'm Alive, In The Best Interest of the Children, Deadly Silence, My Husband is Missing, and Intimate Strangers. Sally co-starred in two legendary motion pictures in the 70's: Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson and The Getaway with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. She was also featured in four independent films: Out of the Black, A Month of Sundays with Rod Steiger, Waiting in the Wings and its sequel Waiting in the Wings: Still Waiting. She made a cameo appearance for actor/writer/producer Mario Van Peebles in the Sony feature Baadassss! Sally's first two Broadway forays were in Wally's Café with Rita Moreno and Jimmy Coco and Neil Simon's female version of the Odd Couple with Brenda Vaccaro. For three years she starred as "Miss Mamie Lynch" on Broadway and on tour in the Tommy Tune production of Grease. In the 20th Anniversary National Tour of Annie, Sally played the coveted role of "Miss Hannigan". Sally was named Best Actress by the Los Angeles Artistic Director Theatre Awards for her role as "Louise Seger" in the musical, Always, Patsy Cline, a true story based on the relationship between Seger and Cline. She won the Ovation Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as "Agnes Gooch" in the Los Angeles production of Mame, and won a second Ovation Award for Cinderella. She also won a plaque for "Best Actress in her 7th Grade Class Play. Additional starring theatre roles include regional productions of Hello, Dolly!, Anything Goes, The Fifth of July, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, The Full Monty, Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago, All Shook Up, Drowsy Chaperone, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, 9 TO 5, Legally Blonde, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Witches of Eastwick and Nice Work if You Can Get It.

For more information, please visit: http://nctheatre.com/shows/always-patsy-cline%20

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