Always...Patsy Cline brings the legendary singer’s story to the First State.
Delaware Theatre Company is preparing its production of the popular bio-musical featuring nearly 30 of Cline’s songs, including “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces,” and “Crazy.”
It’s more than just a musical revue. It’s also a deep dive into the complicated woman behind the public perception of Patsy Cline, using the real-life friendship between Patsy Cline and a devoted fan to tell that story.
Meagan Lewis-Michelson plays Patsy Cline. She’s familiar with the music as she’s auditioned for the role before, but her DTC appearance is her first. She says she’s ready to get to work.
“For my own process, I roughly learned all of the music before I got here, because I wanted to be able to excavate the Patsy, and also work with Jennifer to specify everything she wants out of the music. So, it wasn’t so much that I wanted to dive in and learn the notes, I had kind of already done that, I wanted to dive into Patsy.”
The two-person show is in rehearsal, with Jennie Eisenhower directing, and Jennifer Peacock serving as Musical Director.
Early rehearsal sessions often include table work - an opportunity for the directors and cast to explore the script’s possibilities. Director Eisenhower shares one important agreement the company came to early:
"What we did talk about in table work is that we want to make sure that Louise has that journey from ‘Oh my goodness, this person is untouchable, if the perfect being’ to ‘Wow, this is a person, this is a human being.’”
Always... Patsy Cline opens at the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington February 21st, and runs through March 10th.
Delaware Public Media' s arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
