One of my favorite singers of the 20th century, Patsy Cline is being given a glorious salute this week in two shows playing near all of us in the Pacific Northwest, one in Tacoma TODAY at the beautiful Rialto Theatre and Saturday in Seattle at The Triple Door! For those unfamiliar with Ms Cline, the would-be 78 year old singer paved the way for many female Country music stars in the 1950’s with her brilliant, crooning alto vocals, and ability to blend uncommonly seen sexuality along with her performance craft, often dressing in more revealing, classy gowns as opposed to the traditional gingham dresses of the period. She sang mostly of heart break, love, devotion, sometimes obsession, and served as a proto early feminist to her community, which was used to a more traditionally looked upon class system between the genders. Along with her many triumphs, she helped the career of the equally legendary and daring Loretta Lynn as well, touring with her in the late 1950’s. Tragically, on March 5th, 1963, at the age of 30, Patsy Cline along with three others died in a plane crash in a forest outside Camden, Tennessee. She left a legacy behind from her too few wonderful years in the music industry, including the standards “Crazy”, “Sweet Dreams”, “Walking After Midnight”, and “I Fall To Pieces”. Since then, audiences have seen her played by the likes of Beverly D’Angelo and Jessica Lange on film, Mandy Barnett on stage, and locally at the ACT by actress/singer Cayman Ilika. She’s a legend that lives on and on, appealing to a wide range of fans of beautifully written and performed music.
Happily, Puget Sound fans of the Divine Cline can revel in the mastery of her music in a return of the popular concert tribute to the Queen of the Country Ballad, with a production of “Sweet Dreams: The Music of Patsy Cline”. First up, Tacoma’s Rialto Theatre on Wednesday the 8th (today!) at 7:30 pm. Be there to witness the music of the legendary singer-songwriter performed by artists Kim Virant, Kristen Ward, Victoria Wimer Contreras, Star Anna, and Rachel Flotard.
The magic continues this Saturday, September 11 with a Seattle performance at the Triple Door, including an all ages show at 7pm, and a later 21+ show at 9:30pm. Tickets are $23 in advance, and $26 at the door, and are available by calling 1-800-291-7593 (Tacoma) or 1-206-838-4333 (Seattle), or visiting the respective websites for each venue: in Tacoma and the Triple Door site for Seattle. “Sweet Dreams” are made from music like this!
-Aiden Kamaranyan
