BY MARTINA DOBESH
Amazing talent hides out in Baja’s coastal hills. Seldom are we treated to having so many gathered together in one room. But the La Misión Performing Arts held at the Quinta Los Defines gave the community a real treat. It was almost like being present at the Grand Ole Oprea. The setting brought everyone up close and very personal for this musical play, Always, Patsy Cline. It brought the local talent together for a humongous production featuring two powerhouse women to carry the load, Ginevra Altomara as Patsy and Lisa Rath as her friend Louise. The show’s title was inspired by Cline’s letters to Louise, which were consistently signed “Love ALWAYS… Patsy Cline.” It is said that “It has that magic ingredient that just draws you in — the friendship of the women, the incredible music of Patsy Cline, and in our space the intimacy of storytelling,”
The original production opened in 1988 and went on to be an international hit. The musical is based on a true story about Patsy Cline’s friendship with Louise Seger. You might remember some of Patsy’s most famous songs, I Fall to Pieces, Crazy, and Sweet Dreams. She recorded nearly 100 songs and Ginevra, as Patsy Cline, sang 27 of them in this two-hour performance! Ginevra hit the songs out of the ball park, all the while looking beautiful. The power of her voice astounded the audience. And we wanted to know how was it possible for her to remember all those lyrics?! Each with a wardrobe and scene change. One answer might be the years of commitment to developing her art.
Enter stage left is Lisa Rath, as Patsy’s friend Louise Seger who became a fan and had the starstruck good luck to have her idol actually stay overnight in her home. Lisa played her part with big bold brightness. Her blond wig, her bawdy movements had us all captive and laughing. And again, we were flabbergasted that she carried off seven separate dialogues of 330 to 500 words and each lasting about five minutes! This is beyond believable. All this with her own scene and costume changes to remember. Both women were truly remarkable and enthralled the audience with their prowess.
Now it takes many passionate people to produce a musical play. Director Danny Ingersoll exclaimed, “Theatre is magic!” And he has been committed to creating this magic for the community, and proud that he has “learned theatre by doing theatre.” This was a huge production he took on and brought the magic of real life to the stage. One of the brilliant additions were the separate band members playing parts as actors. Usually we never see the band, only hear them as background. Each member has a long list of credits to their names and all very seasoned performers. The “Bodacious Bobcats” all had Bob names for the fun of it. Jim Bob played by Miguel Korsa on Guitar, Billy Bob by Bruce Erickson on lead guitar, Ray Bob, by David Finch on the fiddle, Jay Bob, by Glen Brown, Jr. on Bass Guitar, Bob Bob, by Randy Seol on drums. Joe Bob, was played by Derek Wille a MYNDSTREAM recording artist who made the baby grand piano come alive. All this amazing talent provided the feel of the Gand Ole Opry. Assistant Director Jan Folsom pulled all this together managing the stage. Set design by Michael Fatica were cute little intimate sets for certain scenes. Paul Ross was the set master builder of a flashy juke box and nice detail sets to support all the action. And part of this fun was they called for participation from us to sing along. We would be remiss to not acknowledge the beautiful location provided by David Cattanio of the lovely Quinta Los Defines.
So, could it get any better? You bet! I had been invited to the last dress rehearsal before opening night. Part of that invitation was to follow the cast to Splash where David Finch, “Ray Bob” would take his fiddle to join the master guitarist, Miguel de Hoyos for a jam session. We really got to see David’s fiddle in action to resounding cheers from the diners. David has played beside many diverse artists Alan Cuming, Tony Bennett, and Dee Snider to name a few. He has acted on Broadway and the West End in London, as well as the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London and so much more.
Of course, we know Miguel! We have come to think of him as our own. He has traveled the world and played for presidents and dignitaries. He has performed more than 80 concerts in Germany. As well as all over Europe and Mexico. He is also known as part of our community and teaches guitar and Spanish to the locals. How could we be so lucky to have Miguel living nearby and playing Wednesday nights for an early evening performance? Well, just lucky I guess. One visitor said that in San Diego his performance would be a $200 gig!
You will want to check in for all the upcoming productions like the Halloween Murder Mystery and other events for the holidays. Check in with David Cattanio at Quintalosdelfines@gmail.com
Editor’s Note: Martina is a freelance writer, columnist for Baja Bound and author of Dust in My Sandals, Tales from a Baja Traveler. Give the gift that keeps on giving to friends and family.
