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Christa Jackson and Sally Struthers Revisit Always”¦ Patsy Cline
Longtime friends and frequent co-stars Christa Jackson and Sally Struthers are again performing their hit show about two gal pals from an earlier era, Always”¦ Patsy Cline. Ted Swindley’s two-handed musical show will play for three weekends only, at Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton.
Always”¦ Patsy Cline is more than a tribute to the legendary country singer, who died at the age of 30 in a tragic plane crash in 1963. With Jackson taking on the role of Patsy Cline, the one-act show focuses on Cline’s real friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger (Struthers), who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk bar in 1961 and maintained a close friendship and ongoing correspondence with Cline until her death.
The musical play presents 27 songs. Jackson performs many of Cline’s unforgettable hits such as “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams” and “Walking After Midnight.” The show’s title was inspired by Cline’s letters to Seger, which were consistently signed “Love always”¦ Patsy Cline.”
Now 41, Jackson began interpreting Cline’s life story when she was the same age as Cline at her death. Jackson is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, where she graduated from Northside School of the Arts. While there, she performed as one of the “Coke Is It Kids.” She has toured as a backup singer for Roger Daltrey, Ty Herndon and Erasure, and her theater credits include performing in Grease on Broadway and in national tours, along with Struthers, as well as appearing on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Café. Regional credits include playing the lead role of Eva in Evita for Heartstrings Regional Theatre; Steel Magnolias (Truvy); Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical; Joseph (Narrator); Annie Get Your Gun (Annie); Seussical (Gertrude); Anything Goes (Erma) and other shows.
Becoming Patsy Cline.
It’s hard to imagine that this pretty, slim woman with blue eyes and corkscrew curly blonde hair can pass as the dark haired, unpretentious country and western singer. It takes more than period costumes, wigs and makeup
“I don’t impersonate Patsy,” Jackson smilingly assures me when we sit down for a chat before rehearsals. “It’s a total, physical transformation. I change the way my mouth is, I change my posture, the way I walk. Everything changes. As soon as I put that wig on, I say a prayer to her every night and I walk out there.” The actress says she simply tries to embody Patsy and give the impression of the kind of person she was.
“It’s a metamorphosis for me,” Jackson adds. “I put the black wig cap on and paint in the dark eyebrows. I do the makeup exactly the way she did, add red lips ““ which is so not me! I start when I’m putting on the wigs and the clothes and stockings ““ I have to add boobs because I have none,” she laughs. “Also Patsy had a slight under bite.”
Struthers interjects, “This is the biggest thing she does ““ she slides her jaw out when she sings and that makes her sound like Patsy. But she gives herself TMJ (inflammation of the temporomandibular joint). She had terrible pains one summer.”
Jackson remembers her concern that she was suffering from a brain aneurysm. “So every night after the show I’m applying heat packs and taking Advil. Every night.”
Plus there are numerous costume changes. “It’s almost like when I was doing Evita,” recalls Jackson. “I sing a song or two then do a costume change. I think there are 20 changes, and the quickest one is just before the encore. I have a great dresser.”
(Click here to listen to Christa sing “Walking After Midnight” in rehearsal.)
Christa and Sally.
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Longtime friends and frequent co-stars Christa Jackson and Sally Struthers are again performing their hit show about two gal pals from an earlier era, Always”¦ Patsy Cline. Ted Swindley’s two-handed musical show will play for three weekends only, at Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton.
Always”¦ Patsy Cline is more than a tribute to the legendary country singer, who died at the age of 30 in a tragic plane crash in 1963. With Jackson taking on the role of Patsy Cline, the one-act show focuses on Cline’s real friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger (Struthers), who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk bar in 1961 and maintained a close friendship and ongoing correspondence with Cline until her death.
The musical play presents 27 songs. Jackson performs many of Cline’s unforgettable hits such as “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams” and “Walking After Midnight.” The show’s title was inspired by Cline’s letters to Seger, which were consistently signed “Love always”¦ Patsy Cline.”
Now 41, Jackson began interpreting Cline’s life story when she was the same age as Cline at her death. Jackson is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, where she graduated from Northside School of the Arts. While there, she performed as one of the “Coke Is It Kids.” She has toured as a backup singer for Roger Daltrey, Ty Herndon and Erasure, and her theater credits include performing in Grease on Broadway and in national tours, along with Struthers, as well as appearing on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Café. Regional credits include playing the lead role of Eva in Evita for Heartstrings Regional Theatre; Steel Magnolias (Truvy); Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical; Joseph (Narrator); Annie Get Your Gun (Annie); Seussical (Gertrude); Anything Goes (Erma) and other shows.
Becoming Patsy Cline.
It’s hard to imagine that this pretty, slim woman with blue eyes and corkscrew curly blonde hair can pass as the dark haired, unpretentious country and western singer. It takes more than period costumes, wigs and makeup
“I don’t impersonate Patsy,” Jackson smilingly assures me when we sit down for a chat before rehearsals. “It’s a total, physical transformation. I change the way my mouth is, I change my posture, the way I walk. Everything changes. As soon as I put that wig on, I say a prayer to her every night and I walk out there.” The actress says she simply tries to embody Patsy and give the impression of the kind of person she was.
“It’s a metamorphosis for me,” Jackson adds. “I put the black wig cap on and paint in the dark eyebrows. I do the makeup exactly the way she did, add red lips ““ which is so not me! I start when I’m putting on the wigs and the clothes and stockings ““ I have to add boobs because I have none,” she laughs. “Also Patsy had a slight under bite.”
Struthers interjects, “This is the biggest thing she does ““ she slides her jaw out when she sings and that makes her sound like Patsy. But she gives herself TMJ (inflammation of the temporomandibular joint). She had terrible pains one summer.”
Jackson remembers her concern that she was suffering from a brain aneurysm. “So every night after the show I’m applying heat packs and taking Advil. Every night.”
Plus there are numerous costume changes. “It’s almost like when I was doing Evita,” recalls Jackson. “I sing a song or two then do a costume change. I think there are 20 changes, and the quickest one is just before the encore. I have a great dresser.”
(Click here to listen to Christa sing “Walking After Midnight” in rehearsal.)
Christa and Sally.