You go into “Always … Patsy Cline” knowing it tells the true-life story of a friendship between a country music superstar and a fan. What you get is the story about a friendship between two women, one of them just happens to be a big star.
“Always … Patsy Cline” opened at the Peterborough Players Thursday and stars Players’ favorites Bridget Beirne as Cline and Lisa Bostnar as her friend Louise Seger. The show, created and originally directed by Ted Swindley, is directed by Players’ actor and director Tom Frey.
The show is fun and filled with light and warmth, great vocals and a lot of laughs.
“Love always, Pasty Cline” is how Cline would sign off her letters to Seger over the years of their friendship, which was cut short when Cline died in a plane crash in 1963 at the age of 30. The show really comes off as a love letter to Cline and her music and an ode to the friendship between women.
Cline and Seger were two southern gals who met at one of Cline’s shows and end up spending the rest of the night pouring their hearts out to each other in Seger’s kitchen over a plate of bacon and eggs. They had a lot in common. They were working moms and both experienced divorce. Seger loved the sound of Cline’s voice. In the show, she recalls that the first time she heard it she was hearing the way she always wanted to sound.
Through Seger we get a glimpse of Cline’s life and career. Her meteoric rise from obscurity to stardom.
If you have seen Beirne before on the Players stage, you already know her to be a vocal powerhouse and it shines in the role of Patsy Cline. Sharing the stage with the ladies is a live band which adds a spontaneous excitement to every song. Between the numbers Bostnar as Seger tells us their story, as if every audience member were her friend. Her high energy and passion make her the perfect guide for us all to meet Patsy together. If you come to the show because you love Patsy Cline, you’ll leave loving Louise as well.
The show includes 27 of Cline’s hits such as Crazy, Walking After Midnight, I Fall to Pieces and Sweet Dreams as well as a reminder of her rock’n roll songs like Shake, Rattle and Roll.
Beirne has played Cline twice before, including at the Players’ 2014 production of “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline,” and at some point in “Always” you forget you are watching Beirne as she completely becomes Patsy Cline.
Together Beirne and Bostnar bring an infectious enthusiasm and joy to the show that brings the audience to their feet for a curtain call, you can feel that energy in the house even when they’ve departed the stage.
“Always…Patsy Cline” runs through Jan. 26. Tickets are $43, and may be purchased at peterboroughplayers.org or by calling the box office at (603) 924-7585.