Always...Patsy Cline
CAPE FEAR THEATRE ARTS
presents
ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE
by Ted Swindley
August 4-7, 2011
Thalian Hall Ballroom
Wilmington, NC
Always...Patsy Cline has enjoyed great success all over the United States, including a successful run off-Broadway. Always...Patsy Cline is more than a tribute to the legendary country singer who died tragically at age 30 in a plane crash in 1963. The show is based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961, and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death. The musical play, complete with down home country humor, true emotion and even some audience participation, includes many of Patsy’s unforgettable hits such as “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Walking After Midnight” - 27 songs in all. The show’s title was inspired by Cline’s letters to Seger, which were consistently signed “Love ALWAYS...Patsy Cline.”
Always...Patsy Cline is presented under the direction of Justin Smith, Artistic Director for Cape Fear Theatre Arts and Carolina Theatre Group, LLC, with Musical Direction by Chiaki Ito, also the companies’ Managing Director. Together, the two have been bringing theater to the stages of Wilmington, NC for 10 years, and recently have begun touring endeavors (including the award-winning production of The Rocky Horror Show in Raleigh).
Starring are Emily Gardenhire as Patsy Cline and Barbara Weetman as Louise Seger. Emily is a performer born and raised in Raleigh, NC, boasting an impressive theater resume as Maggie in A Chorus Line, Fantine in Les Miserables, Serena in FAME, Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, and most recently Jojo in the Workshop Production of The Notebook: The Musical by One Tree Hill’s Bethany Joy Galeotti and Ron Aniello, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. Weetman is an accomplished stage and screen actor, with roles on Surface, One Tree Hill, Little Britain, The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, and The Notebook. This will be the third time Weetman takes the stage as Louise Seger, whose previous performances garnered rave reviews.
WHEN: August 4 - 7, 2011
TIME: 8:00 pm Thursday through Sunday; 3:00 pm on Sunday
WHERE: Thalian Hall Ballroom, Wilmington, NC
TICKETS: thalianhall.org or call (910) 632-2285
Barbara Weetman (Louise) After living and working in Los Angeles for many years, Barbara Weetman moved to Wilmington where she has continued to enjoy employment in the entertainment industry. Local theater credits include Dinner with Friends, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Julius Ceasar, Zombie Attack, Four Dogs and a Bone, and The Rabbit Hole. A few of her television credits are roles in Surface, Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, and the HBO series Little Britian. Film work includes The Notebook, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, Nailed, A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, Provinces of Night, and Plastic Bag- which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival and then played at the New York Film Festival. Directing credits include Sight Unseen, Into the Woods, and Pot Mom.
Emily Gardenhire (Patsy) Emily Gardenhire is a Raleigh native and has been performing for over 10 years. She currently studies Musical Theatre at New York University. She has been seen in Raleigh in numerous productions including A Christmas Carol, FAME (Serena), High School Musical and High School Musical 2, Les Miserables (Fantine), A Chorus Line (Maggie), Jesus Christ Superstar (Pilate), Dreamgirls, Miss Saigon, Grease, and AIDA. In Wilmington she was seen as Jojo in The Notebook, The Musical, and appeared as a back-up singer on the CW’s hit, One Tree Hill.
