ACT Theatre's Patsy Cline Pros and Cons
photo courtesy Centerstage
Seattlest is a Patsy Cline fan. The woman had range. And not just that, but husk. No matter what note she was unleashing, she never dropped the soul of the song for a second. Sure, if you watch video of her singing through "Walkin' After Midnight," you may see a smile on her face for the camera. But there's something behind that, something in her eyes and the tone of her voice as she delivers lines like "I'm always walking after midnight searching for you." You can hear the lonely despite the smile. Singing like that is harder than smiling through the pain. We can't explain why, it just is. But Patsy could do it, and she made it look effortless. It was her appeal, was what made her such an icon in her so-short-it-was-almost-non-existent career (she was killed in a plane crash at 30 years old).
There's a difference between re-imagining a great song and trying to sound just like one of the most iconic-voiced women in the history of country music. It was Patsy's nuanced Patsy-ness that made her a star, so the bar was high for Cayman Ilika—the actress currently portraying Miss Cline in ACT Theatre's production of Always...Patsy Cline. It's based on a true story of an almost-stalker of a fan named Louise Seger, whose obsession with Miss Cline led to a few-years-long letter-writing correspondence. (Remember back in the old days? Writing on paper?)
Ilika delivered, especially on the ballads, a remarkably astute impression of Miss Cline. She was standing very close to us for "I Fall to Pieces" (one of our favorites!) and we could see the trembly grin through which she delivered one of the saddest country songs ever written. But the more upbeat songs ("Come on In") were not so convincing and, often, it felt like more of a tribute concert than a play.
We prefer our tribute concerts to be performed by artists re-interpreting the original songs. We prefer our plays to have more storyline. As it were, Always...Patsy Cline was too theatrical to be a tribute concert but with not enough storyline to be a really great play. Ilika's voice was incredibly on-the-mark for the most part and Kate Jaeger's sheer ham factor as Seger was deliciously fun. While we would've liked a more story-focused script that didn't play out like a revue, how can we complain about two hours in a comfy-ish chair, watching a pretty lady sing Patsy Cline songs?
Die hard Patsy fans may appreciate what storyline there is. Those who just love the songs may be better served at Columbia City Theater on March 5, where Star Anna, Kim Virant, Kristen Ward and Rachel Flotard will likely totally kill whatever selections they make from her catalog.
Feb. 12-Mar. 18 // ACT Theatre // $30
