Illinois: More Patsy

Steve Hitsman · Post by **Steve Hitsman** » 13 Jul 2022 5:59 am

I'll never catch up with Russ and Roger but I'll be doing 13 performances of Always... Patsy Cline in Sullivan, IL, (Lake Shelbyville) August 18-28.

http://www.thelittletheatre.org/

Steve Geis · Post by **Steve Geis** » 13 Jul 2022 8:41 am

Awesome. I did one about 2 yrs ago and it was a great time. The music is standard music notation but it is pretty easy to follow. Good luck & enjoy !!!

Steve Hitsman · Post by **Steve Hitsman** » 13 Jul 2022 8:52 am

My current count is 118.

Ron Pruter · Post by **Ron Pruter** » 2 Aug 2022 2:35 pm

My current count is about 80. Just lost consideration for another run by refusing to wear a mask.

gary pierce · Post by **gary pierce** » 2 Aug 2022 4:49 pm

I would have done the same Ron. We just tested weekly at my last Patsy show.

Jon Voth · Post by **Jon Voth** » 6 Aug 2022 7:02 pm

Just did a couple weekends in Falls Church VA.

I REALLY didn't want to wear the mask but wanted to do the show just a little bit more.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 7 Aug 2022 5:43 am

Steve:

I feel as though I'm losing ground here - I haven't done a 'Patsy' in two-and-a-half years!

Mind, you, due to Covid, then my own health, I haven't worked anywhere since the end of 2019.

While I can't speak for Russ, my total number of performances of the Ted Swindley musical is 750 exactly.

Russ, though, has done many productions of 'A Closer Walk with PC' - for some reason, I've never done that one.

Russ was here at my place a couple of weeks ago and we went through my Emmons putting wrongs right! I learned a great deal in the process and, while I'd once refused to tackle the underside at all, I now have sufficient grasp of the basics. Changing a pedal or knee-pull is now something I'm comfortable doing. It's not only Russ who helped: Jon Light, Bobby Jones, Ian Worley, Tucker Jackson and others were most generous with their advice. Russ was here on-site, as it were, and seeing things done properly taught me much.

Sorry for the topic-drift; best wishes for your impending run. Do you know who the ladies will be yet?

Steve Hitsman · Post by **Steve Hitsman** » 7 Aug 2022 5:57 am

Roger,

No word yet on the actresses. This is community theater so I assume they will be locals.

Incidentally, Jackie Petroccia was just in St. Louis doing Sweeney Todd at the Muny. I didn't get to see her but she's still the BEST Patsy.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 7 Aug 2022 6:02 am

In the hope that someone (who shall remain nameless) doesn't routinely read the Steel Forum, I'm comfortable agreeing with you about Jackie.

She's tremendous, and the best 'Patsy' I ever played behind.

Ron Pruter · Post by **Ron Pruter** » 17 Sep 2022 6:07 pm

The Patsy must be good but don't you feel the Louise character makes or breaks the show? Seems she has most the dialogue,"jokes" and stage time and seems to connect more with the audience. Ron

Steve Hitsman · Post by **Steve Hitsman** » 17 Sep 2022 6:58 pm

Absolutely Ron. I just did the show with Kelli Dodd as Patsy and Brittany Ambler as Louise. Kelli has a great voice and did the Patsy role wonderfully but Brittany was hilarious and had me sitting behind my guitar laughing continuously. Likewise, Zoe Vonder Haar is St. Louis really stood out as Louise. The Louise role tells the story.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 18 Sep 2022 5:28 am

I'm going out on a limb here, but I must confess that the dialog/'jokes' throughout the show make for a very long evening.

It's a testament to some of the better comediennes who I've seen in the 'Louise' role that they've managed to engage the audience and invoke a positive response to what I feel is an inferior 'book'. I have to name names - Zoë, of course, Joy Hawkins, Sally Struthers, Cindy Williams, Melanie Fry - they've all turned in performances that override the somewhat amateur material and have done so by virtue of their skill.

'Always, Patsy...', while it hasn't kept a roof over my head for the 25 years I've lived in America, it's at least paid for my breakfasts and I shouldn't bite the hand that's fed me. In the end, it's the name 'Patsy Cline' and those enduring songs that bring people through the door.

Steve: I see from your post that the show has come and gone by now; how did it go?

Steve Hitsman · Post by **Steve Hitsman** » 18 Sep 2022 5:57 am

Roger, I thought it was one of the best I've done. I didn't expect much from a small theater in a town of 4400 but the production was very professional and engaging. The band featured musical academics from Illinois Universities (excepting self) and the two actresses were outstanding.

Ron Pruter · Post by **Ron Pruter** » 18 Sep 2022 3:46 pm

I totally agree Roger. I think the Patsy audience might be waning in the Phoenix area. I have a "Patsy & Loretta" Concert show followed by a "Highwaymen" Concert show, coming up in October. The Highwaymen show is selling well. Just so so for P&L. It will be fun. No silly play- just music

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 19 Sep 2022 6:02 am

Ron:

I'm happy to have a sympathetic ear on this.

My memories of the 750 shows I did (35 different productions of 'APC' over 21 years - so far!) are of drifting off into my own world throughout the interminable dialog and 'bits of business'.

My most embarrassing moment? Having come straight from one production in Norfolk, VA to my first experience of Jackie Petroccia as 'Patsy', I momentarily lost concentration. The VA 'Patsy' had wanted 'I Fall to Pieces' in B, Jackie wanted it in Bb.

No problem of course but, on our first show, I lost track of things. Before I could stop myself, I'd set my bar at the second fret, pedals down. Needless to say, it was catastrophic; the band played in Bb, I didn't. You can scrape your was out of being one fret down, but sharp is a different matter!

Steve French · Post by **Steve French** » 19 Sep 2022 5:21 pm

Wow, Ron, 750 performances? No wonder you are tired of the dialogue! I did 13 performances in Nevada City last month. I’m not quite that jaded. You must have the record among our SGF brethren.