Jace Saxon
Intro to Theatre
Professor Miller
10-09-15
Patsy Cline Review I thought the play was alright, and that’s saying something for being a guy that is not really into theatre that much. I’ve seen school plays before, and this definitely beat all those out. I’ve also bee to the Broadway show Lion King, though. With that being said, Patsy Cline came in second place in my top favorite plays. I would say that this play is in pretty good company in my opinion then. This play definitely exceeded my expectations. I didn’t quite expect the play to go as smoothly as it did. My first impression of the play was that there was a lot of singing. Before the show, I figured there would be a lot more acting and actors involved. I guess technically it was all acting, but I didn’t expect so much music. It seemed more like a concert than a play. Also, there was only two actresses and the band. I thought there were going to be a lot more people involved with the play, but those two people did do a great job. I feel like you have to be a real good actress to be chosen for a play with only two spots open.
I thought Maddie was hilarious during the play. I don’t think she could’ve done a better job with her character. I’m sure she would say differently, but from my stand point, it was really good. I really enjoyed watching how she could get the crowd into the play the way she did, especially with an older crowd. I feel like an older crowd would be hard to get going, but she didn’t have a single problem with it. Watching those older couples dance was a sight to see.
The actress that played Patsy Cline did a great job, too. Her voice, in my opinion, was amazing. There was one point in the play where I questioned if she was lip singing all the songs because it was so good. Her voice sounded like it was from that time period, so I feel like this play was perfect for her to perform in. Although she had a great voice, I feel like her character didn’t involve much acting. For her, it was more of a concert than a play. She didn’t have nearly as many lines as the other actress or the amount of energy, but I guess she didn’t need to be energetic. It would definitely be hard to memorize all those songs, though, so I give her major props for that. There would be no way I could do that with that kind of music. Altogether, I think that the actors that were chosen were great. There is probably a slim amount of people that could’ve done as good of a job as they did around here, if any.
The most memorable moment in the play for me would be when Maddie walked through the crowd and started getting people to dance. What made it so memorable was that these people were older couples, and they were really getting into the songs. It just surprised me how easy it was for her to get the audience in the play. If the audience didn’t participate, she wouldn’t look too good, and the play wouldn’t have been as good. Without the crowd, there would’ve been a lot less laughs.
Another moment in the play that was memorable would be when Maddie’s character first met Patsy Cline. She was going to the bar with her boyfriend and boss if I remember right. I liked how she acted like there were two other guys actually there when they weren’t. They weren’t excited for the concert at all, but Maddie’s character was, and she didn’t care if they were or weren’t. When she found out that it was Patsy sitting at the bar singing, she went crazy. The whole audience thought that her reaction was funny and busted out laughing. When that happens, you know you’re doing a good job playing a character. When Patsy told Maddie’s character to go on stage and keep the drummer in line with the songs was another part in the play that I enjoyed. I feel like everybody enjoyed that part when she stood right in front of the drummer and was clapping and dancing. That was probably the funniest moment of the play. The way she got the beat going in all the different ways was comical. You could tell that her character was having the time of her life, too. To me, that’s when the play was the best because it was the most upbeat and energetic. The whole crowd loved that part of the play and couldn’t get enough of it. You could just tell that by the energy that was brought into the theatre. I believe the director did a great job with this play. He chose the perfect actresses for the job. The actresses did their thing and made the play what it was. It was obvious that Maddie’s character admired Patsy Cline in every way possible. It was also made clear that Patsy Cline was a great person herself with the way she performed and acted. From watching the play, it seemed like the director did everything right. I don’t think the play could have gone any more smoothly, and that’s thanks to the director. For not really being into theatre, I didn’t mind watching this play at all. I thought it was a well put together play. I definitely didn’t expect it to be very good at all. I didn’t like all the music, but it was still a good play. The actors were great with the singing and the acting itself. I really liked when it became a comical play, as well. Seeing the whole crowd get into the play was a good sight to see. There couldn’t be much more done to make the play any better than it was.