Often … Patsy Cline

Actress Christine Mild performing as Patsy Cline.

Since Sept. 3, Peninsula Players has been bringing the Ted Swindley musical, Always … Patsy Cline, to its stage to share one of the most endearing friendships the iconic country singer Patsy Cline had.

Though short-lived, the two-year friendship between Cline and Houston housewife Louise Seger was impactful and, according to the show’s official website, evolved from “fan worship” to mutual respect. The pair’s correspondences, via letters and phone calls, provide most of the plot for the show.

I caught up with actress Christine Mild, a lifelong fan of Cline’s, who made her debut playing the country singer with the Peninsula Players for this show. While it is her first time performing as a Player, Mild has assumed the role for four separate theaters before coming to Door County.

After finishing her six-nights-a-week show here on Oct. 19, Mild will make her way to Connecticut to bring her take on Cline to the Seven Angels Theatre.

Alyssa Skiba (AS): How long have you been performing professionally? How did you get your start?

Christine Mild (CM): I started performing at age 8 in Las Vegas, where my family was living at the time. I was “discovered” at church by an agent who encouraged me to take voice lessons. After one lesson, I entered a talent competition and was recruited by a Bally’s talent scout for “Catch a Rising Star.” I have been singing ever since.

AS: This is your debut with Peninsula Players – how did you end up here?

CM: A friend and former Player, Brandon Dahlquist, told me that Always…Patsy Cline was in Peninsula Players season. Brandon knew I had played Patsy before and helped me get in touch with Greg Vinkler to submit myself. I have been hearing about this amazing theater for years and I was thrilled to get an audition, especially for a show that is so close to my heart. Luckily, I got cast. Hopefully, it’s the first show of many here!

AS: It sounds like you’ve played Patsy Cline many times before – for what theater have you played her?

CM: I have performed Patsy at the Carousel Dinner Theatre in Akron, Florida Studio Theatre (twice) in Sarasota, Big Sky Repertory Theatre in Butte, Montana, and Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis. I head straight from here to Waterbury, Connecticut to perform at Seven Angels Theatre.

AS: How did you get to know Patsy Cline?

CM: I knew a few of Patsy’s big hits as a kid, but I really got to know her music when I first auditioned for the show. I was like, “Holy moly, these songs are killer!” I couldn’t believe that I had mostly missed this gold mine of a song catalogue and voice. Then, I started learning about her life. She became an instant idol to me at age 25 when I first played the role.

AS: In familiarizing yourself with the role, what have you found to be the more challenging parts of playing her?

CM: The challenging part is, I’m not Patsy Cline. When you are playing someone who actually lived, there is a huge responsibility to represent them for an audience.

AS: What is your favorite part?

CM: My favorite part is the music! So many people ask how I can sing all those songs six nights a week, but that is the absolute most wonderful part. I’m a singer through and through.

AS: What kind of pressure comes with playing one of the most influential and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century?

CM: I know as soon as I start singing that people begin to compare what they hear to their memory of her voice, which is so iconic. Patsy’s style was so very unique and it is almost impossible to me to give an exact replica of the recordings people love. What I focus on is capturing the feel of the style and the emotion behind her singing.

Christine Mild in Always…Patsy Cline.

AS: In looking back at your history with Patsy Cline, how would you say you have evolved as an actress within the role?

CM: This role has taught me a lot about being a true performer. It allows me to connect with the onstage band, execute cutoffs, talk and sing directly to the audience, work a microphone, dance and bop to the music. When I perform any music now, there’s always a little Patsy in me. As an actress, these songs speak to me more now than ever: the heartbreak, the loneliness, the love. It’s been eight years since I first did this show. I feel like I understand the music quite differently now. Most of all, I feel like I understand the friendship between grown women in a much deeper way.

AS: Always … Patsy Cline focuses on the relationship between Patsy and her devoted fan Louise Seger. How did you and Karen Janes Woditsch (who plays Louise Seger) prepare to express that relationship on stage?

CM: The most important element that makes this show a play, and not a concert, is Louise. The relationship we have is the heart of the show. Karen and I worked with our director, Brian Russell, to make the most of the few actual scenes that we have together. We wanted the audience to see that the two women were kindred spirits. One is a star, the other is a single mother, but at their core, they are so very alike.

AS: What is most important to you, as an actress, to make sure you get across about Patsy Cline?

CM: People already know she was a great singer. What I want people to get is that she was a real person. Fun, complicated and kind.

AS: How many costume changes do you go through during the show?

CM: Oh boy. Eight or nine? I have two dressers, Kyle Pingel and Ellen Johnson, and there is no way they would happen without them. They keep me calm and focused.

AS: What is your favorite Patsy Cline song?

CM: No fair, I can’t pick one! It changes … but I love “So Wrong” and “Why Can’t He Be You,” both of which are not in the show. I love singing “Faded Love,” because it has a huge range and is majorly heartbreaking.

AS: Why do you think she remains so popular today?

CM: Raw, emotional singing, beautiful tone, and great songs.

The Peninsula Players performs Always…Patsy Cline Tuesdays through Sundays at 7 pm with a 4 pm matinee Sunday, Oct. 19. Individual ticket prices range from $38 to $44. For more information or to reserve tickets call 920.868.3287 or visit peninsulaplayers.com.