ON STAGE
What: A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline
When, where: Oct. 20-21, 8 p.m.: Teechamitsa Theatre, 3500 Ryder Hesjedal Way
Oct. 27-28, 8 p.m.; matinees at 2 p.m., Oct. 28 and 29, Canadian College of Performing Arts, 1701 Elgin Rd.
Tickets: $17-$30, ticketrocket.co, 1-855-842-7575, at the door
听
The last time local theatregoers saw Alison MacDonald in action, the Canadian College of Performing Arts graduate was Kate Monster in its alumni company鈥檚 production of Avenue Q.
While the furry character seems worlds away from her new role, Patsy Cline, the two have one thing in common 鈥� an independent streak. 鈥淚 love her music, and she鈥檚 a ballsy, strong woman,鈥� says the Jessie Award-winning performer, who began playing Cline last year, appearing on stages from Gananoque, Ont., to Kamloops.
The show, the inaugural production for Little Bowes Street Collective, chronicles the country singer鈥檚 rise to stardom, from her hometown in Virginia to the Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall, and features hits, including I Fall to Pieces, Walkin鈥� After Midnight and Crazy.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a real honour to pay tribute to her,鈥� MacDonald said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a vocal sound that I don鈥檛 get to sing that often and it鈥檚 a nice challenge. It was cool doing the research into her.鈥�
In A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, MacDonald resurrects the music of the singer, who died in 1963, in tandem with discs spun by Little Big Man, a disc jockey played by Leon Willey. 鈥淭here are such great stories in these songs. Everybody talks about her being such a great storyteller, because her emotion and stories come across through her music.鈥�
MacDonald said one of her biggest goals was to avoid mimicry. 鈥淭hat can be a bit too surface-y,鈥� MacDonald said. 鈥淚 appreciate it more when you can feel the performer鈥檚 heart.鈥�
While MacDonald has received plaudits for her vocal range, evident on her debut album I鈥檓 Moving Along, a compilation of tunes from the Cline era, she admits the show posed vocal challenges. Take, for example, the yodelling incorporated into Blue Moon of Kentucky. 鈥淚 had to train myself,鈥� the Edmonton-based entertainer said. 鈥淚 won鈥檛 be taking part in a yodelling contest any time soon. It鈥檚 so satisfying, though.鈥�
MacDonald welcomed the chance to return to Victoria, where she starred in the Belfry Theatre鈥檚 production of The 25th Annual Puttnam County Spelling Bee. Before going on to appear at theatres including Edmonton鈥檚 The Citadel and Vancouver鈥檚 The Arts Club, she did several shows at the Chemainus Theatre Festival.
It was in Chemainus where she met Melissa Young, the University of Victoria theatre grad who is directing the Cline show, and with whom MacDonald and others formed Little Bowes Theatre Collective.
鈥淲e were grumpy orphans in Annie,鈥� said MacDonald with a laugh, recalling their first meeting 14 years ago, while enrolled in an apprenticeship program at the Chemainus Theatre.
The former roommates had been trying to create a couple of pieces together over the past couple of years, including an Irving Berlin revue, but there were rights issues, she said.
United by their passion for music and telling stories through song, and their interest in women鈥檚 voices and stories, they decided that the Cline revue, sanctioned by the Patsy Cline Estate, was just the ticket.
Once the Cline musical retrospective wraps, MacDonald plans to continue working on a children鈥檚 album with the Whoopsie Daisies, her newly formed children鈥檚 entertainment duo.
