Star Struck

Three years ago , a little more than a year before we moved here, we were in SLC visiting some of our family. While here some of us went to see "Always, Patsy Cline" at the Grand Theatre. It's a two-woman show with a six-man band on stage. Based on a true story, it tells of the friendship that grew between the popular singer and a Texas housewife who became one of Patsy's biggest fans.. The two corresponded through letters and postcards until Patsy was killed in a plane crash in 1963. The show is almost totally music, with the actress who plays Patsy on stage nearly all the time, singing all the numbers Patsy was known for.

I am not overly fond of country music and have never ever listened to the Grand Ole Opry.
But the actress who played the lead had Patsy Cline down pat; the woman who played the Texas housewife was a real hoot, and the live band (Joe Bob, Jim Bob, Billy Bob, Jay Bob, Ray Bob and Bob Bob) really rocked.

In short, all of us really liked the show.

Fast forward three years.

Reading the Deseret News one day shortly after we moved here, I ran across a column by the paper's new theatre critic, Erica Hansen. She claimed to know all the words (not just the lyrics, the whole script) of her favorite musical "The Music Man." I e-mailed her, quoting a line from the show and challenging her to give me the next line. To my surprise, she responded --with the next several lines. Over the past few months we have exchanged e-mails discussing a variety of things about theatre. (Is it "theatre" or is it "theater"? We both said it should be "theatre" but the Deseret News style sheet, or whatever, insists it must be written "theater".) Our most on-going "conversation" has been my chastising her for her continued use of "the willing suspension of belief." Even after I quoted Coleridge to her, she still will not concede that the correct term is "the willing suspension of DISBELIEF."

A few weeks ago I noticed a story about the upcoming production of "Always, Patsy Cline" starring Erica Hansen. I e-mailed her: "Is that YOU?" She replied that indeed it was; she was playing the role for the third time. I told her we had seen it three years ago and how much we liked it. She said she hoped we would come to see it again and if we did to be sure to come back stage and introduce myself.

By this time I had become an Erica Hansen fan. So last Friday, along with Barb and Dennis, Shirley and I saw the show again and stuck around to meet the star. When it was our turn in line, I shook her hand and said "You were so good tonight I had no problem suspending my disbelief."
She said "Richard!!" and gave me a big hug, then started telling Shirley, Barb and Dennis how much she enjoyed my giving her a bad time in my e-mails. At which point I told her I had been debating how to introduce myself and had toyed with the idea of just saying "Never worries about his line? Nor a doggone thing." Without batting an eye she came back with "He's just a
bang-beat, bell-ringin', big haul, great-goin', neck or nothin', rip-roarin', every time a bullseye, that's Professor Harold Hill, Harold Hill."

I couldn't believe it. How can anyone be so totally immersed in being Patsy Cline for two hours and then walk off stage and quote verbatim a line from "The Music Man"? She is amazing.

So, that's our evening at the theatre.

PS
Saturday morning I was channel hopping and got in on the last five minutes of "The Westerner", a 1940 film starring Gary Cooper and my all-time-favorite supporting actor, Walter Brennan.
(Did you know that in the first five years that Academy Awards were given for supporting actors, Walter Brennan won three of them?) I've seen it many times before so I couldn't resist watching the tail end of it again. Brennan plays a cantankerous old Judge Roy Bean, who has long admired the famous actress Lilly Langtree and longs to meet her. In the closing moments of the film, moments before he dies, he get his chance. After Friday night's experience, I found it easy to identify with the old judge.

Stay tuned.