“Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman.”
No one knew that truth quite like country singer Tammy Wynette. And she sang about it. She sang about it a lot.
Greenbrier Valley Theatre, the State Professional Theatre of West Virginia, will bring her poignant and tumultuous story to life in “Stand By Your Man: The Tammy Wynette Story,” – one night only – Friday, August 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pocahontas Opera House in Marlinton.
Tickets are $10. Youth 17 and younger are admitted free of charge.
Before she was known as the “First Lady of Country Music,” Tammy Wynette was Virginia Wynette Pugh. From humble beginnings on a cotton farm in Mississippi, her determination to succeed in a male-dominated industry would make her one of the most well-known names in country music. Wynette released 20 number-one singles, won two Grammy Awards and sold more than 30 million records, grossing more than $100 million. “Stand By Your Man” is still the top-selling single in the history of country music.
“[Tammy Wynette], along with Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, definitely inspired the later women in country music with her passion, since it was mostly a man’s business until she came on the scene, hence her nickname ‘The First Lady of Country Music,’” Hannah McGinley said.
McGinley portrays the tenacious country star in GVT’s upcoming production of Wynette’s life story. Growing up, just outside of Nashville, in the heart of country music, McGinley admired not only Wynette’s pioneering journey through the country music industry, but her powerful voice, as well.
“I think my favorite thing about [her] music would be the genuine way in which she feels all of her songs,” McGinley said. “There is a quiet calm in a lot of her ballads, seemingly on the verge of tears, that is outstandingly powerful.”
“Stand By Your Man: The Tammy Wynette Story” delves into more than her astonishing career as a country music artist and her tumultuous five marriages. The production gives insight into her youth, where her interest in music took root, and her struggle to make it to Nashville.
“Tammy was absolutely determined to succeed, even though her circumstances were almost wholly against her,” said Micah Labishak, who plays a teenage Wynette. “I find her tenacity intensely inspiring.”
The Pocahontas County Opera House is located at 818 Third Avenue in Marlinton. Performances at the Opera House are informal, family-friendly and open to all. The entrance and main seating are accessible to persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to attend; special accommodations can be arranged upon request by calling 304-799-6645.
The Opera House Performance Series is presented with financial assistance through a grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Support is also provided by Pocahontas County Dramas, Fairs and Festivals, the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Pendleton Community Bank, the Law Office of Roger D. Forman and Brightside Acres.