When Tammy Wynette was in love… in pain… or, as was often the case, both at the same time, she sang about it. The First Lady of Country Music recorded, performed and sometimes wrote many of her greatest hits, from “I Don’t Want to Play House Anymore” and “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” to “Golden Rings” and “Until I Can Make It on My Own,” in response to events in her often-stormy personal history.
Unlike the tremendously successful Patsy Cline musicals, which in several different incarnations, were mostly just a sampling of her concerts, Stand By Your Man truly is the Tammy Story. Thís musical chronicles the life of this country star. The show deals with most of Wynette’s most difficult episodes including the difficult relationship with her mother, her divorces, her addiction to prescription drugs, her illnesses, her very public feud with Hillary Rodham Clinton, and her famous kidnapping incident. The Fort Worth Telegraph said “Humor perfectly peppers the tragedy and triumph. But ultimately the show’s heart and honesty are what bring it to life. Also, miraculously, it squeezes a host of songs into the story without cluttering the proceedings.“