Heather Astbury Libby, Brianne Beck and Laura Hodos have one big, important thing in common, and it’s the rare gift that’s helped them bond: These ladies can sing.
That talent is what’s put them into the roles of Angela, Darlene and Sue Ellen, the three ladies in the musical “Honky Tonk Angels,” who set off for Nashville with nothing more than a dream and a song in their hearts. Penobscot Theatre’s season-opening production of the show starts Thursday, Sept. 4 at the Bangor Opera House.
The struggles of the three women in the show trying to make it in country music form the backbone of the plot, and the classic songs they sing — including Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette and Pam Tillis — help illustrate their story.
“It’s so apparent right from the get-go that these women love to sing,” said Michele Colvin, a Georgia-based director and choreographer making her directorial debut at the Penobscot Theatre. “It’s been really great to find ways to interpret these classic songs.”
Colvin is no stranger to country music. As a longtime director at the Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville, Tennessee, she’s directed many musicals, and most recently, she has worked at the Smoky Mountain Opry in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. With “Honky Tonk” music director Phil Burns, she’s crafting the sound, look and movement of a period in country music that feels like ancient history, especially in today’s country music scene that blurs the lines between pop, rock and even hip-hop with country.
Libby — last seen as Magenta in Penobscot Theatre’s “Rocky Horror Show” — will admit that country-style singing was not her forte at first. Libby sings in local 80s cover band Rock Revelation, and she is more known for belting out songs by Pat Benatar and Journey, rather than Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.
“Sure, it was a little out of my comfort zone, but once we got into it, it felt really natural,” said Libby. “Plus, it’s not like we’re playing the characters of these famous singers. We’re not trying to imitate them. These are real characters singing these songs, so we can put our own spin on these songs.”
Beck is a bit of a musical chameleon — she’s found herself comfortable playing roles in everything from the aforementioned “Rocky Horror Show” to “Annie” to “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” Hodos, however, is an old pro at classic country. Area theater fans will recognize her instantly from her much-loved turn as the title character in Penobscot Theatre’s 2012 production of “… Always, Patsy Cline,” also written by “Honky Tonk” writer Ted Swindley.
“It’s really interesting to sing a song like ‘I Will Always Love You,’ because everyone is familiar with Whitney Houston’s version, and not a lot of people are as familiar with Dolly’s, which is very quiet and all in her head voice,” said Hodos. “So I’ve tried to strike a balance between those two approaches to the song. It’s really interesting.”
“Honky Tonk Angels” opens Thursday, Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 21, with shows daily, except on Mondays and Tuesdays. For tickets, visit the Opera House box office, penobscottheatre.org or call 942-3333.
As a special offering, Laura Hodos will perform in a solo cabaret at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14 at the Opera House, singing the hits of musical theatre legends Julie Andrews, Mary Martin, Ethel Merman and Barbra Streisand. All tickets are $10.
