"Always ... Patsy Cline" -- Different Fare for the Westchester Broadway Theatre. But Don't Let That Stop You From Seeing It

“Always … Patsy Cline” is a departure from the typical Broadway-show-revival fare seen at the Westchester Broadway Theatre. In fact, it never appeared on Broadway — just on off-Broadway in 1997. The play is based on real-life occurrences and concerns a friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger that develops from a chance meeting before the start of one of Cline’s performances in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961.

The name Patsy Cline isn’t familiar to many younger music fans today although they may have heard some of the songs she made famous such as “I Fall to Pieces,” “Your Cheating Heart,” “Crazy,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Back in Baby’s Arm’s.”

Yet, Patsy Cline (played by Erin McCracken) was a show-business pioneer and a country music great who was adored by her fans (especially Seger, played by Susan Fletcher). Seger is the narrator in this play.

Cline was both an influence on and an inspiration to female vocalists to come. She was a high-school dropout, the product of a broken home, a waitress at a dinner, chunky in stature, and often criticized for the cowboy outfits she wore.

Her career leaped ahead when she won an audition to sing on an Arthur Godfrey’s CBS television show in January, 1957 and introduced “Walkin’ After Midnight” to rave reviews. Godfrey was smart enough to invite her back again and again. The first woman to be inducted into the County Music Hall of Fame, Cline died in a 1963 plane crash at the age of 30.

After hearing Cline on the Arthur Godfrey Show, Seger hounded a local disc jockey to play Cline’s records on the radio. In 1961, Seger arrived early to attend a Cline performance. Cline had also arrived early. The two women struck up a friendship, exchanged addresses and telephone numbers, and corresponded and talked on the phone as Cline traveled; they became close friends. The show’s title was inspired by Cline’s letters to Seger, which were consistently signed “Love ALWAYS… Patsy Cline.”

On the stage, McCracken and Fletcher take turns performing — with McCracken singing and Fletcher proving humor. The talented Bodacious Bobcat Band helps with ongoing musical support. The show is directed by Amiee Turner and musical direction is by Ken Lundie. The show closes on February 28, 2016.

Ticket prices include a delicious meal and depending on the performances chosen, range in cost from $56 to $84 per person plus tax. Alcoholic beverages and gratuity are not included in the ticket price.

Westchester Broadway Theatre, 1 Broadway Plaza, Elmsford, NY 10526, 914-592-2268. www.broadwaytheatre.com

Photo by Mark Turek