Review: ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE at Hillbarn Theatre

Always…Patsy Cline

Created and originally directed by Ted Swindley

Directed and choreographed by Dyan McBride

Hillbarn Theatre & Conservatory

Bay Area musical icon Melissa WolfKlain delivers another bravura performance as country star Patsy Cline in Ted Swindley’s nostalgic jukebox musical play. Based on a true story of Cline’s friendship with a Houston super fan named Louise Seger, played with ebullient joy by Kimberley Donovan, the story is a loving homage to friendship and the singer’s incredible songbook.

The show’s title was inspired by Cline’s letters to Seger, which were consistently signed “Love ALWAYS… Patsy Cline.” Packed with Cline standards (“Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams,” “Crazy”), Wolfklain gets to show off her pipes on over 27 tunes, and that alone is well worth the ticket price. Backed by her six-man band “The Bobs” (Jimmy-Bob, Joe-Bob, Ray-Bob, Bob-Bob, etc.), the show is packed with music, perhaps a tad too much. I wish there were more moments of interaction between the two actors.

Successful jukebox musicals need a backstory to delineate them from a straight stage concert and Swindley smartly has couched this show through the eyes of a rabid fan, Louise Seger, a divorced mother of two who calls into her local radio station demanding Cline songs numerous times a day. Kimberly Donovan, a bicoastal actor, director, and an award-winning voice over actor, carries the brunt of the acting here, narrating the story of her chance meeting with Cline at a honky tonk and continuing via letters through the years until Cline’s premature death in 1963.

Donovan is a hoot as she pulls us into her joy and excitement at meeting her idol, and watching their friendship blossom is a delight. There’s a singalong audience participation and the audience certainly enjoyed Cline’s repertoire of pop and country tunes like Neil Sedaka’s “Stupid Cupid,” Hank Williams Jrs. “Your Cheating Heart,” and “Walkin After Midnight.”  The band, under the direction of Rick Reynolds, is amazing. Always…Patsy Cline is a loving tribute, beautifully acted and musically stunning.

Always…Patsy Cline continues through September 15th. Tickets available at www.hillbarntheatre.org or by calling 650-349-6411.

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