By Joanne Engelhardt
Whether or not you’re a country western fan – and I’m not – Hillbarn Theater in Foster City and director Dyan McBride have created an outstanding evening of theatre thanks especially to an uninhibited performance by Kimberly Donovan (who only sings a little) and a controlled — almost doll-like — performance by Melissa WolfKlain as country singer Patsy Cline (who sings a lot).
Spread across the entire back of Hillbarn’s expansive stage is a rousing six-person band directed by Rick Reynolds, who also plays the piano. The band plays a big role in this show, which features at least portions of 25 songs during the two-hour show.
” … But Donovan is a force of nature unto herself …”
Hillbarn really opened up its stage for Always…Patsy Cline, though to this reviewer, one entire wall of bric-a-brac on stage right doesn’t seem to serve much of a useful purpose other than a door for entrances and exits.
Though the plotline is sparse, it really happened – or at least most of it. The program says the show was “created and originally directed by Tim Swindley” and is “based on a true story.”
Donovan’s character Louise is so totally enamored of Cline’s lilting country voice that when she hears her singing on television’s Arthur Godfrey Show, she tells her kids to move over so she can sit up close to the TV to watch her.
She then calls the morning host of her local radio station to request that he play Patsy’s song “Walking After Midnight” for her – which he does. Louise is nothing if not persistent because she then calls him every morning to play it for her (and he always does).
Both actors here seem exactly right playing the parts they do. Yet Donovan’s Louise is so over-the-top that she actually steals the show. Except when WolfKlain is singing.
Wearing at least 10 or more outfits, some of which are made of glittery sequins, WolfKlain’s clear vocals are simple country tunes, yet sung with a bushel of heartfelt emotion.
But Donovan is a force of nature unto herself. Decked out in what she considers country high fashion, Louis wears knee-high boots, jeans, a yellow cowgirl shirt with red roses, large red hoop earrings, a smile as big as Texas – and quite often a cigarette dangling out of one side of her mouth.
One day, she hears that her idol will be coming to perform at a gigantic venue about an hour’s drive from her home in Houston, Texas.Louise rounds up a couple of buddies and gets to the show 90 minutes before it’s supposed to start.
As she’s sitting at a table, smoking and drinking a beer, she sees a woman in a big white coat slip in a side door. The woman sits on a chair next to an authentic-looking juke box. Then she puts a coin in and a song starts to play.
Naturally, it’s a Patsy Cline record with Patsy singing one of her big hits.
Louise immediately recognizes Patsy, and from that accidental meeting, the two women end up forging a friendship – both in person and through letters – until Patsy died in a plane crash in March of 1963.
But that’s just a footnote in this musical. And because it’s a musical, audiences get to hear WolfKlain sing “You Belong to Me,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray,” “Seven Lonely Days” – even “Shake, Rattle and Roll!”
After the two women get a standing ovation on opening night, they offer up one more song, a duet: “Bill Bailey” with the audience happily joining in.
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Aisle Seat Executive Reviewer Joanne Engelhardt is a Peninsula theatre writer and critic. She is a voting member of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC). Contact: joanneengelhardt@comcast.net
| Production | Always, Patsy Cline |
|---|---|
| Written by | Ted Swindley |
| Directed by | Dyan McBride |
| Producing Company | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Production Dates | Thru Sept 15th |
| Production Address | 1285 E Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404 |
| Website | www.hillbarntheatre.org |
| Telephone | (659) 349-6411 |
| Tickets | $34-$62 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 4.75/5 |
| Performance | 4.75/5 |
| Script | 4.75/5 |
| Stagecraft | 4.75/5 |
| Aisle Seat Review PICK? | YES! |