"Always ... Patsy Cline' returns to Theatre Tuscaloosa's Bean-Brown Theatre

Being as this weekend represents Theatre Tuscaloosa's fifth production of "Always ... Patsy Cline," the machinery needed just a bit of tune-up.

Lauren Wilson returns for her fifth embodiment of Patsy's fan and friend Louise Seger. The company has built this set, or something similar, before. Some musicians in the live band have played the Bean-Brown Theatre numerous times, if not on stage, then from the pit below. Patsy's iconic red cowgirl dress may be new for this run, but it calls to mind earlier incarnations, bold and bright, decked with spangles and fringe.

And although it's Tina F. Turley's first time directing this show – not strictly a musical, but a play interspersed with 26 songs performed by Patsy – she's been with the company through previous productions, in 1999, 2001, 2005, and 2014. Artistic director emeritus Paul K. Looney directed those four, but Turley, the company's executive producer, was ready to take lead on this production, which opens Friday in the Bean-Brown.

REVIEW:'Always ... Patsy Cline' ropes you in, a sweet dream of music, heartache and love

"We still want to celebrate 50 years," said Turley. But after the pandemic squashed most of season 49, the company moved "Always ... Patsy Cline" up from a planned winter 2022 slot, to serve as this fall's easy-going return to live, in-person performances.

"It's manageable," Turley said, because the show needs just two women actors, backed by the band, and one main set. There are numerous costume changes, for Patsy, anyway, but otherwise, it's not technically demanding like a large-scale musical.

"And at the same time, it's also a crowd favorite. It's always one of our most-requested shows, every year," she said. "It's something people are going to want to come back to. You know, it's not a complicated story, but if you love music – you don't even have to love country music – there's a lot to love about this show. Between the two of (the actors), it's highly entertaining."

Wilson clearly knows the role of Seger, the true-life friend and correspondent with the singing superstar, though she delves deeper with each production. "Always...Patsy Cline" centers on  Louise, who wrote to the star, then met her at a Texas honky-tonk finding Cline just as approachable and warm as her voice. They continued to correspond up until the singer's tragic death, in a 1963 plane crash, at age 30.

Though she has her part down pretty well after all these years, Wilson dives a little deeper into the real-life Louise each time, to add dimensions to her stage incarnation.

"Every time we do this, I try to find whatever I can about her actual life," Wilson said. "And so I found out she was a beauty queen ... she was a dancer and a singer, toured with the Louisiana Hayride (the radio and TV show that helped launch Hank Williams, Elvis Presley and others). And she was friends with (country star) Little Jimmy Dickens.

"And she went to college. You know, I've always played her as a good old Southern gal, like my relatives. This time, I've tried to give her more intelligence. She's more endearing, this time. I think she's still as funny, but there's a little more in there. She's a little bit more specific. She's not as caricatured."

Finding a Patsy

But you can't leave this whole show to Louise. You've got to have a Patsy.

That formidable, recognizable voice hasn't been trusted to just any old crooner. Then-local singer Sandi Burnett, who'd performed around the world, played Patsy twice for Theatre Tuscaloosa. University of Alabama grad Sara Catherine Wheatley, who's now working as a singer-songwriter and actor, living out of Nashville, performed as Patsy in 2005 and 2014.

For 2021, everything's coming up Rosie Webber.

"I want to get them before their price goes up," Turley said, laughing, pointing to how the company's helped develop actors who've moved on to successful performing careers. Webber is in the process of launching hers.

As one of seven daughters of actor, writer and teacher Mary Beth Webber, she practically grew up in the Bean-Brown, playing the title role in the 2004 "Annie," Tessie Tura in the 2014 "Gypsy," and bombshell Ulla in the 2016 "The Producers," meanwhile working to complete her bachelor's in fine arts from Rider College. 

In 2018, Webber went out on the national tour of Tony-winning musical  "A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder." She's also worked professionally on a Disney Cruise Line, as Mrs. Potts in productions of "Beauty and the Beast," and playing a fairy godmother, Cruella De Vil and other characters. She wrote and recorded an EP, "Jingle & Swing!," during the long, distanced months of 2020, and after Patsy, she's going back out on a national tour, this time with "Fiddler on the Roof."

"Frankly, I was stalking Rosie, and I heard her sing a Patsy Cline song, and I was like 'Waitaminute.' She can sing, but she can also SANG," Turley said, laughing.

Shining in Patsy's cowgirl duds, Webber noted she also wore a red and white dress in her first major role with Theatre Tuscaloosa, as Little Orphan Annie.

"I've just added a little length to come full circle," Webber said.

Although she'd sung "Crazy," a song Willie Nelson wrote, and Cline made iconic, Webber hadn't really tackled a challenge of this stature before.

"It's hard," she said, laughing. "It's a lot of singing. I mean I think, what is it, like 24 songs? I don't think in my career I've ever sung this much in one show."

Though Louise croons along a time or two, as memories come to life, the rest of the singing is all Patsy. Even leads in musicals rarely perform every tune.

"It's really fun, though, because she's just so cool," Webber said. "Down to Earth, and such a force, such a big personality. She didn't care what people thought.

"But then we also see a vulnerable side to her. ... everybody might not know about her life, but they can hear it in her voice. She went through a lot, and we can all relate to that, to the polarity of seeing the confidence and the vulnerability."

Five decades of shows

"Always... Patsy Cline" serves as kickoff for what the company hoped would be a blowout 50th season, with scads of musicals, and at least one show representing popular productions from each of its five decades.

The tree of the company logo drew from several roots, including the 1971-born Tuscaloosa Community Players, the 1974 SummerShow, Punch and Judy Children’s Theater, and Shelton State Community College. Those four combined to hire a full-time artistic director, Looney, who lead the expansion, helped create the mission, and in the '80s, changed the name to Theatre Tuscaloosa. 

Post-pandemic, this season 50 will feature a revisit to another oldie, "On Golden Pond," Feb. 25-March 6, 2022. The rest of the season's productions are fairly in requirements, up until the summer splash "Mamma Mia!," July 15-24. For more on the season, see www.theatretusc.com.

Following a pay-what-you-can dress rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, regular performances will be 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sept. 16-17, with 2 p.m. matinees Sunday, Wednesday, and Sept. 18-19, all in the Bean-Brown Theatre at Shelton State Community College.

Due to Shelton's COVID-19 protocols, all staff, volunteers and audience members will be required to wear a mask inside the building. Hand sanitizer can be found throughout the building. No food or drinks will be sold at concessions, and none will be provided in the patrons' Marquee Room. The Bean-Brown will be thoroughly cleaned between performances, according to Adam Miller, managing director, who added that all staff and performers have been vaccinated.

Tickets are $24 general; $20 for seniors, members of the military, and Shelton employees; and $16 for students and children. For more, see www.theatretusc.com, or call 205-391-2277.