HARLINGEN — “I went out walkin’, after midnight, I went out walkin’.”
Randi Lappin will walk onto the stage tonight at the Harlingen Community Theatre and sing that Patsy Cline classic.
It’s the opening night of “Always…Patsy Cline” and Lappin is excited.
“I just love the music so much,” said Lappin, 51, who is playing Patsy Cline and singing more than 20 of her songs during the performance. She also directed the production.
“It’s about one of her friends she met in Houston when she was singing at the Esquire Ballroom.”
That’s right. The popular musical is based on the book by Louise Seger who wrote about meeting the late country western singer, inviting her home and having breakfast with her the next morning.
The two established a lasting friendship that included letters and other correspondence.
Robin Buddle plays Louise.
“They met three years before (Patsy) died,” said Buddle, 61. “She’s just so crazy about Patsy. She’s very enthusiastic, she loves country music, loves to dress up in western clothes.”
The most challenging part about getting into character was memorizing the lines, something which didn’t present Lappin with much difficulty.
“She sings the whole time, I memorized the lines,” she said.
Curiously, the whole story took place before Patsy died at age 30 in a plane crash. Lappin, a devoted fan herself, reflected on this.
“Her career only lasted about six years,” she said. “She put a lot into it. She paved the way for women in country music, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton.”
In preparing for the part, she did some research on the late singer.
“I found out a lot I didn’t know, like a lot of the songs she had done,” she said.
She’ll perform those songs for audiences who see the production … with her own voice.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Always … Patsy Cline
WHEN: Today and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday at 3 p.m.
WHERE: Harlingen Community Theater
1209 Fair Park Blvd.
ADMISSION: Adults 18 and older $20
Children younger than 18 $10
PATSY CLINE FILE
Born — Sept. 8, 1932
Place of birth — Winchester, Virginia
Break came in 1957 with performance of “Walkin’ After Midnight” on Arthur Godfrey Talent program
Appeared on Grand Ole Opry in 1958
Died: 1963
Famous hits include:
“Crazy”
“I Fall to Pieces”
“Always”
