It's easier the second time around, says singer-actress Zenia Zambrano Moura, who again is portraying Patsy Cline in "Always ... Patsy Cline," which kicks off Manoa Valley Theatre's 2008-09 season on Wednesday.

Same country songs — 28 in all — with the same personality, on a slightly different journey.

"It's easier since I already know the songs," Moura said about getting into the skin and soul of a cherished icon in country music — a tone of confidence in her voice.

The first time ("A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline," staged in 2002) was basically a bio. "This time, it deals with Patsy, the real woman, and her friendship with Louise (played by Suzanne Green), her pen pal. This really happened; it's not fiction," said Moura.

And truth, she said, is a tad more difficult to stage than fiction.

But what concerns Moura more is her pregnancy — she's two months hapai now, not really showing a bump, and not wrestling with morning sickness and other discomforts of impending motherhood. Yet.

"I'll find out, if stuff starts to happen," she said of her otherwise blissful condition. "The costumers are thinking of putting some elastic wherever possible in my costume."

She didn't know she was expecting when approached to revisit Cline. Now her castmates are coaxing her to name the baby Patsy if it's a girl.

By day, Moura works at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a secretary.

"Right now, I have to pace myself, be sure not to wear myself out," she said of the mix of work and rehearsals that will turn into performances.

At MVT, where staging and seating can be manipulated to suit the mood of a production, "Patsy Cline" will play in a cabaret setting.

"That will make the songs kind of more fun," said Moura. "Kind of like a celebration of Patsy — a good time with the entertainer. The last show left all with a sad mood."

Moura's husband, Scott, also is a community theater actor, and while they have shared the stage together, he is not in this one.

Moura said Dwight Martin, MVT's producing director, approached her to do the hana hou. "Of course I said yes," she said.

"I see Patsy as a down-home girl, who never felt like a celebrity, but a simple gal — not like some celebrities today," she said.