Patti Page, the subject of the new jukebox musical “Flipside,” was one of the most popular acts of the 1940s and ’50s. Over a 65-year career, the canary — now 85 and still singing — sold more than 100 million country-pop records and landed 111 songs on the charts.
Yet younger generations have no clue about her. Page isn’t an object of veneration like Rosemary Clooney or Patsy Cline, or a household name like Doris Day. She was perfectly poised, perfectly professional and perfectly middle of the road. She had only two enduring hits, “Tennessee Waltz” and the novelty tune “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?”
Worst of all, Page reputedly was a hard worker and kept out of the tabloids. How are you supposed to wring a fun biomusical out of that?
Maybe there is a juicy back story somewhere, but writer/director Greg White didn’t go digging for it. What he did do is come up with a promisingly clever concept for the show — which originated at the University of Central Oklahoma, in Page’s home state — then he made it earnestly bland.
White introduces us to Clara Ann Fowler (Haley Jane Pierce), a reserved woman who drops by the studio of a Tulsa radio station in 1965. She ends up discussing her close relationship with the “Singing Rage,” as Page was nicknamed, with a maintenance man (Willy Welch).
From there we climb aboard ye olde time machine, and go back to Clara when she was just a young girl with a fine voice — who ended up becoming a “girl singer” and changing her name to Patti Page.
Throughout the show, Clara looks on the career of her famous alter ego (Lindsie VanWinkle), as if having an out-of-body experience. The two and a couple more actresses (Jennie Rottmayer and Kassie Carroll, who also plays various supporting parts) take turns delivering Page’s songs, backed by a fine eight-piece band.
Having several people warble for Page is a terrific idea, as the singer’s single great innovation was to pioneer multitracking — she overdubbed her own voice. The women are all strong, clean performers, and when they re-create the dubs by harmonizing, the result is lovely.
But this isn’t enough to sustain the show. With 28 songs crammed into 95 minutes, there’s little time left for drama.
This suits White just fine. He drops some tantalizing hints, as when the maintenance man tells Clara, “You sure put up a good front,” and she answers, “I did my fair share of acting.” But that’s as deep as it gets. Page’s relationship with her overbearing manager, Jack Rael (Justin Larman), is glossed over, and we never really learn what drove her. A cipher she was, a cipher she remains, her easy-listening tunes reverberating through the ether.