Swine Palace’s first summer musical is drawing “record” crowdsand rave reviews with its glimpse into the life of a late musicallegend.
“Always. . . Patsy Cline” is the true story of Louise, a fan whomet Cline and developed a friendship with her idol.
Louise recounts her friendship with the singer from the eveningthe two met and through the letters they exchanged while 27 ofCline’s songs are performed.
Cline was popular throughout the late ’50s and early ’60s withsongs such as “Crazy” and “Walkin’ After Midnight.” The singerremained a country star until her tragic death in a plane crash in1963.
Swine Palace Director of Marketing and Publish Relations AdamMiller said “Cline” is a break from the standard Swine Palace fare,which normally consists of controversial plays and adaptations ofclassics.
“A good old-fashioned musical is fairly unusual for us,” Millersaid. “We had not done a musical review and certainly not as asummer musical. [The show] is setting record numbers at our boxoffice.”
Dominique Plaisant reprises her role as Patsy Cline, afterpreviously playing the role at New York’s Depot Theatre.
Director Jennifer Jones Cavenaugh met Plaisant when she saw theproduction in New York. When Cavenaugh was asked to direct the showfor Swine Palace, she decided to bring Plaisant into theproject.
Plaisant is excited to take on the role again.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Plaisant said. “I really think thatPatsy Cline’s music is infectious. It catches like wildfire becauseof the energy of it.”
Plaisant said playing Patsy was daunting.
“I am not going to impersonate her,” Plaisant said. “I am goingto embody her spirit and let it come out in that way.”
Leslie Maness, who plays Louise, said Plaisant is having noproblems embodying Cline’s spirit. Maness said she overheardaudiences members debating if Plaisant was lip-synching.
“Dominique has [that] powerhouse voice,” Maness said.
But Miller said it is Maness who brings the comedy to theshow.
“Louise brings the sole of the show to life,” Miller said. “Sherepresents everybody.”
Plaisant said she considers Cline a ground-breakingvocalist.
“So many female vocalists now are influenced by her — LeAnnRimes, Norah Jones, and certainly Loretta Lynne became famousbecause of her,” Plaisant said.
Maness said Cline is one of the great voices of the 20thcentury.
“Patsy was an extraordinary woman,” she said. “She was one ofthe first people to really sell a song, not to just get up thereand croon it, but she had this emotional voice. It meant somethingto her.”
The Baton Rouge audience seems to have responded well to Cline’smusic.
Miller said the patron response has been overwhelming.
“You can barely hear them singing the encore because people areclapping so loud,” Miller said. “The show is a phenomenon.”
Maness said the audience response is unusual for a typicalmusical.
“I had to stop the standing ovations at the end of the show tosay my last line,” Maness said. “It’s like a James Taylor concert.Audiences clap because they know it’s going to be ‘Fire and Rain’and it’s the same thing with Patsy Cline songs.”
Jean Crites, an audience member at the June 12 show, said theproduction was fantastic.
“It brought back a lot of memories,” she said. “The interchangeof Louise and Patsy was great.”
The play has been successful not only in Baton Rouge, but alsoin other productions nationwide.
Maness said a theater in Houston that produced the musical waspulled out of debt by revenues from “Cline” alone.
“[Theaters] call it ‘Patsy Cash Cow’ because people just keepcoming back,” Maness said. “It gets extended and sells out veryquickly.”
“Always … Patsy Cline” runs until June 27, with performancesat 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Ticketsare $12 for students, $19 for senior citizens and LSUfaculty/staff, and $27-30 for adults.