Admittedly, I tend to go into jukebox bio-musicals with a hearty dose of skepticism. So many shows in this genre are about early stars of country music, a style I don’t gravitate toward, and their book writers sometimes struggle to craft a compelling story that strings together an artist’s greatest hits. Happily, though, American Blues Theater’s production of “Always … Patsy Cline,” Ted Swindley’s warhorse of a revue that premiered in 1988, largely won me over with the warmth of its two leading ladies — Liz Chidester and Molly Hernández — and its tender portrayal of their unexpected friendship.
Born in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley during the Great Depression, Cline began singing in local juke joints and nightclubs as a teenager before breaking into the country music scene in Washington, D.C. Her rising career, which saw her singles climbing both the country and pop charts, was cut short by her death in a plane crash in 1963 when she was 30 years old. Posthumously, she became the first solo female artist elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame and remains the most popular female country singer in recording history, inspiring generations of stars from Loretta Lynn to Brandi Carlile.
Chidester, who also hails from rural Virginia and spent her early career in Chicago, gives a vocally commanding yet down-to-earth performance as Cline in this production, directed by Harmony France with music direction by Michael Mahler. It’s easy to believe her character when she says, “I don’t want to get rich; I just want to live good.” Backed by a five-piece onstage band, Chidester croons her way through ballads such as “You Belong to Me” and displays range and agility in “Stupid Cupid” and “Lovesick Blues.” Her emotional depth resonates in quieter numbers such as “If I Could See the World (Through the Eyes of a Child)” and “Just a Closer Walk.”
From a storytelling perspective, Hernández really sells the show in the role of Louise, a Houston woman whose exuberant personality and love of Cline’s music lead to a genuine friendship when the two meet at one of the singer’s gigs. After chatting and drinking together into the early morning in Louise’s kitchen, the real-life Patsy and Louise regularly corresponded by mail and telephone for years. Their letters, artistically rendered by sheets of paper dangling above the set designed by Tara A. Houston, inspire Louise’s narration in the show.
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Speaking mostly in direct address, Hernández’s Louise holds the audience in her palm from the beginning, when she recounts her captivating introduction to Cline’s voice on TV and her subsequent harassment of the local radio DJ into playing the singer’s albums on repeat. Wearing an all-denim outfit, cowboy boots and hot-pink eyeshadow (costume design by Lily Walls), Louise is a woman unafraid to speak her mind and ask for what she wants in her thick Southern drawl. At the honkytonk where she first meets Cline, Louise eagerly hops onstage when Patsy asks her to help the drummer stay at her preferred tempo; she also works the crowd with energy and charisma, venturing into the house a few times to greet or even dance with attendees.
Much of Swindley’s revue takes place on this magical night when two women of similar ages bond over music and their shared experiences of motherhood and divorce, despite the significant gap between their day-to-day lives. Of course, anyone who knows how young Cline was when she died (or who learns this from American Blues’ backstage guide) will foresee the bittersweet ending. Under France’s direction, this turn of events manages to be moving but not schmaltzy, capped by the band’s wordless rendering of the hymn “How Great Thou Art” and Lousie’s reading from her friend’s letters, which always signed off with “Love always, Patsy Cline.” More than the music — though ably performed and obviously appreciated by the audience on the night I attended — it’s this depiction of friendship that I’ll remember most from this production.
Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
Review: “Always … Patsy Cline” (3 stars)
When: Through June 7
Where: American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave
Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Tickets: $34.50-$64.50 at americanbluestheater.com