Back in Baby’s Arms: Always…Patsy Cline returns to the Ryman better than ever before
It started out as a kind of fluke. In what can only be described as a cosmic decree or twist of fate, playwright Ted Swindley stumbled upon the work of Patsy Cline for the first time while running the Texas Playwright Festival in Houston which presented plays with strong Texas themes. But it wasn’t until a couple of years later when one of his company’s two theaters was dark and he needed something quick to put in it that the seed finally took root.
Gathering every available scrap of her catalogue to his side, Swindley spent an entire weekend immersing himself in the sublime wonder of Patsy Cline’s work; a weekend that would end in a lifetime love affair with the tragic chanteuse’s life and music. To his credit, despite the numerous accounts of Cline’s sometimes tumultuous life, Swindley veered away from all of that and chose to tell an uplifting and touching true story of the friendship between Cline and Houston based divorcee Louise Seeger based on letters that Swindley uncovered while researching the play.
The story has lived many incarnations over it’s nearly twenty one years of production from the early days as a cabaret act in 1988 to the eventual revival of it several years later for its first ever presentation at the Ryman Auditorium fifteen years ago. For many who saw those early shows at the Ryman there is no better part for the role than recording artist Mandy Barnett who has stepped into Cline’s sequined heels five times now. There is a resonance and sincerity to Mandy’s performance that has always made her perfect for the role even though she was only 17 when she first auditioned.
For this incarnation currently showing at the Ryman Auditorium through May, Mandy seems to be doing more than just playing Patsy Cline. She has always had a flare for Cline’s music, but this time out she isn’t merely performing. She actually seems to transform into the iconic persona without seeming a caricature. Barnett’s performance is a complex and layered portrayal of Patsy Cline that is both powerful and sensitive. She embodies the essence of Cline’s presence with grace and ease. Her room filling vocals expertly mimic Cline’s singing voice and there is a new smoky, sultry quality to her voice that is a closer imitation of Cline’s speaking voice than I have ever heard. It is almost as if Patsy Cline has once more materialized on the stage of the Mother Church of Country Music once more.
The already strong chemistry betwixt Barnett and Houston based Tere Myers (who plays Louise Seeger) is more rock solid than it has ever been. They seem to be channeling the power or Cline and Seeger’s relationship with the same energy that Barnett alone manifests for Cline. There is even what some could interpret as a sort of “Ruth and Naomi” meets “Thelma and Louise” sort of love (if they were guys, the relationship would be called a “bromance” these days) that manifests on the stage with this performance that was all but absent in previous incarnations.
Tere Myers has considerably stepped up her already strong game as well bringing hilarity and sympathy to a role that could easily be played as a second banana to Cline’s considerable body of work. Myers’ portrayal of Louise Seeger is filled with pathos and commands attention and respect. While Mandy Barnett woos the audience with Cline’s siren call, Myers holds the audience firmly in the palm of her hand. When she laughs the audience laughs. And when she cries at the news of Patsy’s death in a plane crash there isn’t a dry eye in the house.
Such is the power of Myers and Barnett’s combined performances that even when a loud altercation broke out in the balcony of the Ryman on opening night, most people not in the balcony were oblivious and the Ryman staff should be congratulated for handling the situation quickly and discretely.
No review would be complete without the mention of the incredible costumes and the great accompanying band supporting the two women onstage. These people were the foundation upon which the greatness of the show is built.
The minor changes in script and expansion of the musical numbers are also well done and appropriate for the piece. Ted Swindley clearly has a deft knowledge of his subject matter and should be applauded for bringing this important and powerful piece to the world.
On the eve of opening night, NHT! got to chat with Mandy Barnett about her role as Patsy Cline.
NHT!: Congratulations on fifteen years as Patsy Cline. How does it feel?
MB: I can’t believe it’s already here. This is the fifth time I’ve played Patsy since I first stepped into the role in 1994. There are a few changes this time around. She speaks a little more and that is a little unnerving to me because I’m not used to speaking in this show. Everyone seems to think that I’ll just walk right back into it, but it is really kind of like doing it again for the first time. This show is over twenty years old at this point so it has really evolved from what it was when I first stepped into it even fifteen years ago.
NHT!: When you first auditioned for and landed the role did you have any idea it would have the legs that it did?
MB: I had just moved to Nashville at the time and I just thought it was something that Opry Land was doing. I had no idea that it was a stage musical. When I tried out I was there just about the whole day before I learned what it was for. I’ve always loved Patsy’s voice but I never dreamed that my career would take that turn. I’m proud of the fact that so many people love my interpretation of the role. We definitely put it on the map. I’m so proud that after almost ten years having been in the role people want to see me do it again.
NHT!: There has been a lot of attention given to the chemistry between you and co-star Tere Myers over the years. How do the two of you keep it up after so long?
MB: It is great to be working with Tere Myers again. We’ve really kept up with each other over the years a lot like Patsy and Louise did through the letters and phone calls. She’s an attorney in Texas and comes into Nashville about once a year and we always see each other so our chemistry onstage is enhanced I think by our already close bond. We just never got a chance to lose that magic.
NHT!: Ted Swindley told me that he had an instant intuition about you when he saw you first audition on stage. He knew you were right for the part. What was it like from your point of view on that day?
MB: It was like a freak show walking in there to audition with all of these women dressed up in western regalia and big black wigs. I wasn’t sure at first if this was even the right thing for me because as far as I could tell I was clearly unprepared! I hadn’t dressed for the part at all. I sang “Someday You’ll Want Me To Want You” as my audition song. At first I worried because I didn’t choose a hit but the more I heard “Crazy” and “Walkin’ After Midnight” the more convinced that I was it was a good thing I chose the song I did.
NHT!: Why do you think this show resonates with people so much when so many other pieces like it over the years have failed?
MB: Beyond just the music being incredible the story is really good as well. It’s not all about Patsy’s many personal problems. The story is almost more about her fan Louise than it is about Patsy so all of her dirty laundry is left at the door. It is a really endearing story about something that you rarely see these days. Most performers now walk in with an entourage and are completely inaccessible. This story is back in the days when performers traveled alone and things were a lot different. This show is about love and friendship and I think that everyone can relate to that.
WHEN: Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm Saturdays at 2 pm and 7:30 pm April 15-29 and May 6-23, 2009
WHERE: The Historic Ryman Auditorium 116 Fifth Avenue North Nashville, Tennessee 37219
TICKETS: Adults $36.50 and $29.50 Children (under 12) $18.25 and $14.75 Available through the Ryman Box Office, Grand Ole Opry Customer Service at (615) 871-OPRY, or online at www.ryman.com.
