A commenter on the Scene's website recently accused me of feeding the perception that Nashville is a hick town. Apparently I don't love local productions enough, and if I did, Music City theater would be perceived as ... more sophisticated? The logic escapes me, but it provides a timely opportunity to discuss the new mounting of the popular Always ... Patsy Cline.
Creator-director Ted Swindley's celebration of the great country singer's music is essentially the same show that's enjoyed over 20 years of success in regional U.S. theaters and abroad. Always ... Patsy Cline first played Nashville in 1994, and a then-teenage Mandy Barnett wowed audiences with her remarkable voice, re-creating Cline's distinctive phrasing and soulful alto delivery.Â
A Crossville native, Barnett turns 36 in September, so she's now almost six years older than Cline was when she died in a 1963 plane crash. Fortunately for theatergoers, there's no perceived decline in Barnett's ability to sing it like Patsy, and when she's handling the big hits like "Back in Baby's Arms," "Walkin' After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces," "Sweet Dreams" and "She's Got You," the show's as strong as ever.Â
Decked out in an array of striking dresses and gowns, Barnett is a veritable singing machine, and she's at the top of her game. Her coyly executed rubato interpretation of Willie Nelson's "Crazy" offers a winning demonstration of her vocal control. In all, she sings parts or all of 27 songs, including some church tunes and novelty pop treatments that represent less compelling elements of the Cline repertoire. Regardless, Barnett does them all justice.
She's also backed by six very good musicians under the direction of bassist Brad Albin, whose notable work neatly approximates the Owen Bradley production sound that became the hallmark of Cline's biggest recordings. The multitalented band members deliver some sweet and swift modulations, and also provide wonderful backing vocals that recall the legendary Jordanaires, who sang on some of Cline's classic records.
For better or worse, the show's cornpone tone also remains intact: Tere Myers plays Louise Seeger, the diehard Patsy fan who befriends the star during a Houston concert date, thus providing the basic setup and thin plotting. The Seeger story has some inherent tenderness, but Myers' narration — interspersed with harmless jokes about men, Baptists and hairdressers — is a bit shticky and keeps the play from developing much dramatic depth. On the other hand, this populist spirit helped raise the show to icon status, so it's reasonable to expect some ham with the otherwise solidly entertaining musical fare.
Real world
While Shawn Whitsell was performing Mary McCallum's original script Black Girl Lost with SistaStyle Productions in New York City last weekend, his own Destiny Theatre Experience was presenting his original script, Stories of Our Lives, at the Darkhorse Theater. Whitsell's revue of short scenes and monologues addresses serious issues of the contemporary African-American experience, among them peer pressure, marital breakups, self-esteem and sex, HIV/AIDS, fatherless families and violence.Â
As in his previous works, Whitsell creates believable characters forced to deal with tough realities. Much of the material is quite poignant, though some scenes are overly earnest, veering toward the melodrama of public service announcements. A vignette featuring a wayward pastor provides shock value, while a particularly entertaining barbershop scene captures the vitality of the male inner sanctum.
Whitsell's 10 cast members have varying levels of experience, and the acting quality is understandably uneven. Among the more interesting performers are Eric L. Williams, whose monologues as a successful lawyer challenge African-Americans to stop "blaming whitey," and stage newcomer Tiffany Murray, who turns in an understated yet surprisingly effective rap on how gradations of skin color are the root cause of an unspoken type of discrimination in the black community itself.Â
The production features simple set pieces with some occasional moody spotlights. Clearly the focus here is on the characters' very personal problems, and when the writing meets up with a confident delivery, the results are strong. The show continues through July 16 at Darkhorse Theater.
Magical murder mystery tour
Speaking of hick towns, The Jugg Sisters and NashTrash Inc., operators of the familiar Big Pink Bus that provides offbeat and entertaining tours of Nashville, have announced a new traveling dinner-theater package featuring an original show, A Grand Ole Murder. A cast of outrageous characters — including Little Dickie Wiggins, Travis Brooks and Latisha Hardwood — solves the mystery of a backstage murder at the Grand Ole Opry. In between the sleuthing, bus passengers enjoy a country-style dinner with cast members at Monell's at the Manor (the new location at the former New Orleans Manor on Murfreesboro Road), then join in to help solve the case. Local actors involved include Janna Landry, Cinda McCain, Hugh Britt, Trey Palmer and Jay McMann. The new venture opens Aug. 5, and the murder-mystery tours will happen on Fridays and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 226-7300 or (800) 342-2132.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
