Honky Tonk Angel, the second musical from writer Ellis Nassour about the late country star Patsy Cline, may have a pre-Broadway premiere in early 1999 at the Forum Theatre in Metuchen, NJ. The production was originally set to receive an Equity staging last June with Sally Mayes as Cline at an undisclosed, 550-seat theatre in New Jersey.
Nassour is the author of Always...Patsy Cline, which played New York's Variety Arts Theatre in 1997. Nassour wrote the book and original lyrics to Honky Tonk, while George Leonard composed the original music.
According to a Dec. 4 casting notice in Back Stage, the show will open at the Forum Theatre Jan. 29, 1999 for a run through Feb. 29, 1999. Peter Loewy will direct and Randy Skinner is choreographer. The production is termed a "pre-Broadway try-out."
The Forum Theatre did not return a call for comment.
Sally Mayes starred as Patsy in a Sept. 30, 1997, reading of the musical. Mayes has acted in Welcome To The Club and She Loves Me. At the NYC reading, her co-stars in Angel included Susan Mansur (Ruthless! ), Bryan D'Arcy James (Titanic , Floyd Collins ), Tina Johnson, Don Stephenson, Kerry O'Malley, Sean McCourt and Emily Loesser (Swingtime Canteen ). Skinner directed. Both Honky Tonk Angel and Always...Patsy Cline feature songs Cline made famous, such as "I Fall To Pieces" and "Crazy."
-- By Robert Simonson and David Lefkowitz
