A three year snapshot of the Texan at the centre of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, Charles Hardin Holley, brought the stage alive with over two hours of superb live music performed by an enigmatic and energetic cast and orchestra at Theatre Royal Plymouth in ‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story’.
Charting his Lubbock, Texas – and Nashville, Tennessee – early days in 1956 through to his untimely death on 3rd February 1959, the musical biopic provides humour, history and harmonies aplenty in a West End and Broadway hit that has lifted audiences to their feet since 1989.
The enthusiasm of Buddy (performed by AJ Jenks on opening night) and his band The Crickets is barely contained as they strive to leave their country music roots behind and make music their way. Drummer Jerry Allison (Josh Haberfield) and bassist Joe B Mauldin (Joe Butcher) provide great physical performances throughout the show, particularly in the early days with Butcher’s deft ability to leap over and on top of the double bass. There is pure joy in the core trio as they ‘Rip It Up’ and equal frustration as an early draft of ‘That’ll Be The Day’ doesn’t quite sound right. Eventually the song would find its sound and become their first hit, reaching the top 3 in May 1957.
The ‘Buddy’ set is simple and the lighting effective, switching scenes from the radio station to the recording studios and the stage with ease, allowing the focus to be on the incredible musicianship on the stage, and to the audience when we’re part of the music.
Act One ends with the first of two mini-shows-within-the show, their legendary appearance at the Apollo Theatre, Harlem, New York, on 16th August 1957, as the first white group to perform at the theatre, in the height of the Civil Rights movement. The music speaks for itself on the stage, with the Apollo performers Tyrone Jones (Miguel Angel), Chantel Williams (Laura-Dene Perryman) and Marlena Madison (Samuelle Durojaiye) joining in the performances of ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Oh Boy’ marking the social impact that music can have in bringing people together.
Act Two packs a powerful punch as the twenty-year old Holly moves to New York as an independent artist, has chart success with hit after hit and marries Maria Elena (Daniella Agredo Piper) after a whirlwind five hour romance in New York. The inevitable final performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on 2nd February 1959, also featuring final appearances from a charismatic The Big Bopper (Christopher Chandler) and seventeen year old Ritchie Valens (also performed by Miguel Angel) is performed before the theatre audience, with the audience encouraged to clap and cheer along, as if we were at Clear Lake.
What is a tragedy – even more poignant with Holly showcasing new music he was working on, including ‘True Love Ways’ and ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’ – is handled with heart and humour by the cast, right through to the encore of a stunning ‘Johnny B Goode’ earning a standing ovation from the audience.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper and pilot Roger Peterson died in an air crash on 3rd February 1959. New bassist and future country legend, Waylon Jennings, alongside fellow band members, took the cold tour bus back home.
The moment was immortalised in Don McClean’s American Pie as “the day the music died”, yet the Fifties heralded the new sound of rock ‘n’ roll, with Holly playing an essential role in music history; he was the first artist who used two guitars, a bass and a drum in performances, to record his own songs and to perform, which we still see in rock bands today, he opened for Presley, and his accessible, spectacle-wearing appearance, inspired legendary acts such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, The Hollies and Elvis Costello when they saw his 1958 appearance at the Palladium. Holly left a legacy including ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘Heartbeat’ ‘Raining In My Heart’ ‘Everyday’ and ‘Rave On’.
‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Show’ is an absolute must-see of a music biopic, with a history that should be taught in every music class; the Fifties was the decade the music came alive.
Cast: AJ Jenks/Christopher Weeks, Joe Butcher, Josh Haberfield, Thomas Mitchells, Stephanie Cremona, Miguel Angel, Laura-Dene Perryman, Samuelle Durojaiye, Daniella Agredo Piper, Christopher Chandler, Ewan Ling. Writer and Producer: Alan Janes, Director: Matt Salisbury, Musical Director: Dean Elliott Running Time: 150 minutes, including interval Theatre: Theatre Royal Plymouth Performance dates: 30th May – 3rd June 2023 Buy Tickets for ‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story’
