Mother, daughter take  a walk with Patsy Cline

Leslie Jo Bissett gets help from daughter in playing role.

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer 12:36 AM Sunday, February 5, 2012

SPRINGBORO — Leslie Jo Bissett isn’t crazy enough to change her name to Patsy Cline yet, but she could probably get away with it, considering she’s played the country legend an untold number of times.

Her biography for the La Comedia production of “A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline” says that she has played the role “a countless number of times,” and she herself said she simply couldn’t remember the number anymore.

What she does remember, though, is she’s been playing Cline for about as long as she’s had her oldest daughter, Kelsey Leigh Hood. Now, Kelsey is working with her mother in the La Comedia show, playing the teenage Patsy in the first few scenes.

“My daughter was one when she was with me when I played Patsy in Branson, Mo., and she’s 17. She’s been listening to me playing (Cline) her whole life,” said Bissett, who also produced and directed the La Comedia show.

Hood, a senior at Carlisle High School, said of her experience, “It’s really, really fun. I’m having a great time.”

Mother and daughter have worked together on stage several times in the past, including other La Comedia shows including “The Sound of Music” and “The Music Man.” But this is the first time they have both played Patsy Cline.

“I always heard mom singing Patsy and I always wanted to try to sing like her,” Hood said.

Bissett has sung like Cline not only in shows specifically about the country legend but also in other La Comedia shows featuring Cline songs. She wears the role well because “I think my background makes a connection. She put God first and family second and her career fell in behind that, and the same is true with me,” Bissett said.

The show plays through Feb. 26 at the dinner theater, which serves a buffet followed by the show. Arrival times are 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and 10:30 a.m. Thursday and Sunday. There are no Wednesday performances for this show.

Ticket prices are now $53 to $69 for adults and $29 for children. Tickets can be purchased by calling (937) 746-4554 or online at lacomedia.com.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836, (513) 755-5073 or  eric.robinette@coxinc.com.

How to go

What: “A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline”

When: Through Feb. 26

Where: La Comedia Dinner Theatre, 765 W. Central Ave. Springboro

Cost: $53 to $69 for adults and $29 for children. Call (937) 746-4554 or go to lacomedia.com

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