Press Releases

Algonquin Arts Theatre to Present Six Performances Across Two Weekends from Jan. 25 to Feb. 3

EVENT INFORMATION
What:
"Always Patsy Cline"

Who:
Algonquin Arts Theatre

Dates & Times:
Friday, January 25, 2013 • 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 26, 2013 • 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 27, 2013 • 3 p.m.
Friday, February 1, 2013 • 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 2, 2013 • 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 3, 2013 • 3 p.m.

Location:
Algonquin Arts Theatre
173 Main Street, Manasquan, N.J., 08736

Tickets:
Adults: $33 / 28
Seniors: $31 / 26
Students: $23 / 18
Group rates available for 10 or more. Individual tickets subject to $2 per ticket processing fee.

To Purchase or for Information:
732-528-9211 or algonquinarts.org

HEADSHOTS:
Sally Struthers:http://www.algonquinarts.org/cc/SallyStruthers_CMYK_sm.jpg
Carter Calvert:http://www.algonquinarts.org/cc/CarterCalvert_CMYK.jpg

MANASQUAN, N.J. (Jan. 14, 2013) � Emmy Award winner Sally Struthers and Broadway star Carter Calvert take the stage at Algonquin Arts Theatre later this month as "Always Patsy Cline" opens on Jan. 25 for a two weekend run.

More than a tribute to the legendary country singer who died tragically at age 30 in a plane crash in 1963, Ted Swindley's musical play balances down home country humor, sadness and reality. Based on a true story about Patsy Cline's (played by Calvert) relationship with Houston housewife Louise Seger. Seger (played by Struthers) befriended Cline in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961, and their pen pal correspondence until Cline's death provides much of the basis for the plot.

The production features a live band on stage backing Calvert as she expertly sings dozens of Cline's hits including "Crazy," "I Fall to Pieces," "Anytime" and "Walking After Midnight."

"Always Patsy Cline" is sponsored by Savvy Style. Opening night is Friday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. and performances continue on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m. The second weekend of shows will be Friday, Feb. 1, and Saturday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 3, at 3 p.m.

Tickets are available online at algonquinarts.org, by calling 732-528-9211 or by stopping in to the box office (12-6 p.m. weekdays, 12-4 p.m. Saturdays) at 173 Main Street. Tickets start at $28 for adults, $26 for seniors and $18 for students. Limited quantities of premium seating are available for $5 more. All tickets are subject to $2 processing fees.

Struthers established herself as part of television history on the famed sitcom "All in the Family," winning Emmy Awards in 1972 and 1979 as Gloria, Archie and Edith Bunker's only child. More recently, Struthers became a favorite of another generation starring as Babette Dell in "Gilmore Girls."

Struthers has played the role of Louis Segar on stage more than 900 times, and says about the show: "Patsy Cline's hit songs are brilliant and nearly everybody remembers them. It's hugely entertaining for everybody."

Before playing this role last January in Covina, Calif., she told the Los Angeles Daily News: "People don't know who Louise Seger was, so I can take the artistic license and play Louise the way I wish to play her. It is a wonderful chance for me to create a character that still says the lines that were written, but does them the way I believe Louise must have felt in her heart about Patsy because she was just an over-the-top fan."

Calvert's credits include a Tony Award nomination on Broadway for "It Ain't Nothing But the Blues," a European tour of "Smokey Joe's Café" and the lead role of Grizabella in the national tour of "Cats." She recently released a critically acclaimed jazz album with the Roger Cohen Trio.

"I have been a fan of Patsy Cline since I was 7 years old," she told the Portland Press Herald. "My father was a big fan. We had a Ford Fairmont, and it had an 8-track. He was always torturing us with Charlie Pride or Loretta Lynn, but one day he brought home an 8-track tape of Patsy Cline's greatest hits."

The Algonquin Arts Theatre production of "Always Patsy Cline" uses the same cast, costumes, set, direction and more as a production last summer at the famed John Lane's Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine.

Directed by David Galligan � who has directed this play and Struthers on both coasts, the Ogunquit production also stared Calvert and Struthers together. Galligan's direction will be supported by Production Supervisor Jayme McDaniel and other staff directly from the Ogunquit Playhouse who will come to Manasquan for this run. The set was trucked in last summer from Maine and stored locally.

The Ogunquit production was well received, with The Portland Press-Herald proclaiming: "Crazy. That's what you'd have to be to miss 'Always Patsy Cline!'"

About Algonquin Arts Theatre:
Algonquin Arts Theatre (AAT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 with the mission to provide cultural enhancement and arts education to all audiences at the Jersey Shore through high-quality performances and programs in theatre, music, film and dance. The end goal is to foster appreciation of the arts and promote lifelong learning, particularly among underserved audiences including the economically disadvantaged, senior citizens and individuals with disabilities.

Algonquin Arts Theatre's programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts / Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; by funds from the Paul F. Zito, M.D. Educational Foundation, by Simon Kaufman, Esq. & Maria Zito-Kaufman and remembering Marialana and her love for children and the arts.