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Don't be crazy and miss Patsy Cline

I can't remember why I missed "Always...Patsy Cline" the first time that it played Seattle in 2009, but I do remember hearing from friends about the knockout performances of leads Cayman Ilika and Kate Jaeger. But them's the breaks of live theater, miss it and you'll never catch that lighting in the bottle again.

Except, sometimes, the theater gods smile upon us. Seattle audiences have a second chance to see this amazing duo rip through the "somebody done somebody wrong" oeuvre of Patsy Cline. With sass (Jaeger) and class (Ilika), the pair recreate the brief and memorable friendship of a Texas divorcee and the queen of heartbreak music at Taproot Theatre.

Ilika and The Bodacious Bobcat Band at Taproot's Isaac Studio. Photo by Robert Wade.
The packed house last Saturday erupted into applause for every classic sob song:  "Crazy," "Walkin' After Midnight," and "I Fall to Pieces." The fun of the show comes from some of the lesser known works, like "Stupid Cupid" and the wonderfully titled "God Didn't Make Honky Tonk Angels." Ilika owns a huge voice and bounced the big numbers off the roof.
Just as large is Jaeger's comic timing and as the ultimate Cline fan, she rules the stage and leaves the audience with only one question:  how can Ilika keep a straight face through their memorable "let's get drunk and sing about the men in our lives" evening?

A very special tip of the cowboy hat also was earned by The Bodacious Bobcats Band with Claire Marx, Olivia D. Hamilton, Jesse Whitford, Justin S. Davis, and Dave Harmonson. This quintet kept the beat, never missed a joke, and served up some mighty fine honky tonk music.

The real heartbreak is that this show has a criminally short run.  You only have until April 6 to catch the ladies and their amazing back-up band. For more information, check Taproot's website.