They were just a couple of country kids from Alabama, but one of them, Hank Williams, went on to become one of the most iconic and celebrated songwriters in the United States.
The other, Audrey Williams, pushed hard to make it happen.
Now, “Still in Love with You” — a new musical by Randy Noojin that will be presented by Vashon Repertory Theater on Feb. 9-11 at The Grange Hall — tells their turbulent and tragic love story.
Filled with 16 of Hank’s original songs, Noojin’s play is an adaptation of a book by the same name, written by Lucrecia Williams. Lucrecia, born in 1941 to Audrey and her first husband, Erskine Guy, was three years old when her mother married Hank.
On Vashon, Tami Brockway Joyce will play Lucrecia, recounting the tale of Hank and Audrey’s passionate but troubled marriage, which ended in divorce in 1952. On New Year’s Day in 1953, Hank died of heart failure at the age of 29 in the back seat of a car on the way to a concert in Canton, Ohio, after years of back pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse.
His songs, however, live on. Among his songbook are such gems as “Cold Cold Heart,” “Hey, Good Lookin’,” “I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry,” and, of course, the title song of Noojin’s play, “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You).”
Filled with 16 legendary songs by Hank, Vashon’s Rep’s production will feature local singers and actors John Whalen, as Hank, and Jennifer Potter, as Audrey. The two will be backed by a band of local musicians.
The show is directed by Vashon Rep’s artistic director, Charlotte Tiencken.
Performances of “Still in Love With You” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9 and 10; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 11, at the Grange Hall.
A post-performance discussion, facilitated by the DOVE Project’s director, Heidi Jackson, will take place after the show on Sunday.
The Grange Hall, at 10365 Cowan Road, is an intimate space, so seats are limited. Purchase tickets at tinyurl.com/9w8pd8rr. Pay-what-you-can tickets will also be available at the door if space remains available.
