A n encore performance of the Natchez hit &8220;Always &8230; Patsy Cline&8221; will bring the cast and crew of the show together for a Natchez Festival of Music fund raiser Friday at Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center.

Music festival enthusiast Dr. Donald Killelea said the play fits right in with the objectives of the festival &8212; &8220;to bring different types of music into Natchez, including opera, Broadway, country and jazz.&8221;

Singer Patsy Cline was a well-known and well-loved entertainer and her music is still loved today, Killelea said.

&8220;It&8217;s our pleasure to put this on with many of the same people who have made it such a success before,&8221; he said.

Diana Glaze, who directs the show and plays the role of Louise Seger, said the idea for choosing the show as a Natchez Little Theatre production came from Mary Nell Rushing, who plays the part of Patsy Cline.

&8220;We were just sitting around talking about shows we&8217;d like to do, and she said she&8217;d always wanted to do Patsy Cline,&8221; Glaze said. &8220;I told her &8216;I&8217;d love to do it, too.&8217;&8221;

The idea became reality, and the show a few years ago was a huge success, playing to full houses each performance.

&8220;There are so many memories associated with that music,&8221; Glaze said. &8220;I thought the show would bring a whole new audience to theater, and it did. We&8217;ve had so many requests to do it again.&8221;

All the members of the cast and crew agreed to do the show next week, Glaze said. &8220;Even Mickey Davis, who lives in Arkansas now, is coming to be in it again.&8221;

Musicians on stage are important to the story and the effects the play has on the audience, Glaze said.

The story is told from the point of view of Louise, a Houston housewife who was a huge fan of Patsy Cline and came to be a good friend of the singer.

Musicians in the show include Sylvia Johns Ritchie on piano, who also serves as musical director; Davis on violin; Louis DeVries, bass; Casey Gilbert, lead guitar; Eddie Freeman, pedal steel; Dave Troutman, fiddle; and Terry Trovato, drums.

&8220;Every one of those musicians is superior in their own right, but together they are tremendous,&8221; Glaze said.

As for Rushing, any time she can sing Patsy Cline, she is thrilled. A Waterproof native, Rushing said she began singing as a child in elementary school, encouraged by a music teacher, Betty Olds Stapp, who taught her into her teen years.

&8220;I was very active in glee club from eighth grade into high school. We sang all over Louisiana,&8221; Rushing said.

She has sung from Martin&8217;s stage only once and loved it, Rushing said. &8220;In a smaller building, I don&8217;t sing at full capacity. I have a very strong voice,&8221; she said. &8220;I can just let it go in a big hall.&8221;

Killelea said anyone who has seen the show before will want to see it again. &8220;And if you haven&8217;t seen it, you definitely should plan to go.&8221;

Tickets are on sale at Natchez Pilgrimage Tours in the Visitor Reception Center on South Canal Street. They are $20 each for adults and $10 for fulltime students. Tickets also will be sold at the door.

Glaze said she has put pressure on the people selling tickets. &8220;We&8217;ve always played to a full house when we&8217;ve done this show. So we expect all 600 seats to be filled.&8221;