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‘Honky Tonk Angels’ in Salem picks up where ‘Patsy’ left off
By LORRAINE WARDLE
SALEM
After last year’s success of “Always…Patsy Cline,” it appears that the Salem Community Theatre players were looking for a repeat performance. Luckily for them, playwright Ted Swindley has a few more scripts.
“Honky Tonk Angels,” Salem Community Theatre’s latest production, opened Friday night, and if the packed theater was any indication, the show will easily exceed expectations.
“Honky Tonk Angels,” written by Swindley, tells the story of three different women who share a dream: to become country music singers in Nashville. Swindley wrote the dialogue and incorporated nearly 30 classic country-western songs into the script. The story is sweet and cute with clever dialogue in the first act, but it loses its momentum in the second.
As the play begins, the audience is introduced to three women. Angela is a middle-aged mother of six from Texas who’s had enough of her stereotypical husband, Bubba. Sue Ellen is a 30-ish secretary in LA with a jerk of a boss. Darlene is a young coal miner’s daughter with big dreams.
Separately, they decide to leave their lives and follow their dreams. The three meet on a bus to Nashville and decide to become a trio. All of this happens in the fast-paced first act, which is full of snappy dialogue and songs that fit perfectly.
Unfortunately, the second act doesn’t match the first. The plot fizzles, and the dialogue fades.
The songs are linked together with weak one-liners, and the characters seem to lose their personalities. A skit about a “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” is weird and makes little sense. Even though the plot of the second act was weak, the musical numbers were as upbeat and well-sung as in first.
But despite these weaknesses in the script, “Honky Tonk Angels” is extremely entertaining. Directors Gary and Cheryl Kekel have staged a production that both looks and sounds beautiful. The set, designed and constructed by Gary Kekel and Mark Frost, utilizes every inch of the stage. The band sits on a platform high above the stage, and the action takes place on many different set pieces that transform throughout the show.
The cast comprises three very talented women. Julie Benner, who played Louise Segar in “Always…Patsy Cline,” returns as another Texas mother, Angela. Benner is a wonderful singer with a great sense of comic timing. Her Angela is kind and funny in the first act and over-the-top in the second.
Amanda Frost plays Sue Ellen with ease and humor. Her singing is great, and her delivery is perfect. One would never guess she had only three weeks to learn the role!
Finishing the trio is Carly Magnuson, as the sweet, young Darlene. Magnuson has an amazing singing voice – her “Coal Miner’s Daughter” was beautiful – and an easy stage presence.
The three women harmonized beautifully and kept the show moving at a fun, fast pace.
Accompanying the cast is the infamous Bodacious Bobcats Band, returning from last year’s “Patsy Cline.” The band is excellent, playing perfectly with a full country sound. Its music helps set the mood and pace for the production.