The current touring performance of The Buddy Holly Story is a joyful experience and a thrilling evening in the theatre.
Since opening in Plymouth in 1989, the musical biography has had a 14-year run in the West End and extended tours all over the world. This is a tribute to the enduring popularity of Buddy's music, its influence on many performers and the ageless relevance of Alan Janes's original script.
The story starts in the 1950s when Buddy was gaining recognition as a talented and innovative performer and gathering a wide fan club of rock 'n' roll enthusiasts.
The first half of the show leads up to a famous performance at New York's Apollo Theatre, where he 'bridged the racial divide' by gradually winning over all-black audiences who regarded the genre as their own.
The rise to fame is punctuated by a wide range of familiar songs including "That'll Be The Day", "Everyday" and, after a tantalising wait, "Peggy Sue". Janes's script is highly entertaining and includes cameos of the various entrepreneurs Buddy meets on the way up.
In a tremendously talented cast, in which every artist can sing, play a variety of instruments, engage in comic business as well as giving convincing acting performances, Christopher Weeks is outstanding as Buddy. The characterisation is subtle and the musical sequences full of energy and enthusiasm.
Thomas Mitchells has an important function as link man in which he narrates, plays a variety of roles and establishes an excellent relationship with the audience, whether in the present day or at one of Buddy's past venues many years ago.
The multi-talented band, Joe Butcher, Josh Haberfield and A J Jenks, provide a convincing, dynamic representation of The Crickets as well as some clever and much enjoyed tricks with the instruments.
Going into the second half of the show, the venues become more sophisticated and the music more complex and rich in tone. Holly's style is described as "more controlled and cerebral than Elvis's and more youthful and innovative than the country and western stars of his day" (programme note). Among the songs included are "Well Alright", "Maybe Baby" and several by later admirers.
Miguel Angel as Ritchie Valens and Christopher Chandler as The Big Bopper swell later musical numbers as do other members of the cast, including Laura Dene-Perryman and Samuelle Drojaije as singer-dancers, who have appeared in earlier scenes, and Daniella Agredo Piper and Stephanie Cremona, who have had important minor speaking roles.
The sad end to the narrative and Buddy’s unexpected early death when he had so much to live for is represented by a brief silence and a visual message. Almost immediately the band begins to play again, and the performance ends on a high.