Review by Beth
Tickets were gifted for an honest review.
Are you ready to rock and roll? Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story re-embarks on a UK tour this year, currently playing at Lichfield Garrick until Saturday 7th March.
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| Photo by Hamish Gill |
Featuring music of the fifties and of course of the bright star that was Mr Buddy Holly himself, this show promises a night of toe-tapping, reminiscing and heart whilst recounting Buddy and the Crickets’ journey from their humble Texas roots all the way until the night of his tragic death at the age of just 22 alongside Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.
Our story begins at a radio station in Texas, where DJ Hipockets (Joshua Barton) introduces our story. We see Buddy and the Crickets, successfully embarking on a country music career but despondent and longing for rock and roll fame and success. We see this conflict play out in Decca records, with the band dropped due to their artistic differences.
As the group then meet manager Norman Petty and begin their rise to fame, we hear the band record some of Buddy’s greatest hits including That’ll Be The Day and Peggy Sue (formerly Cindy Lou as our story shares)! Our audience were instantly thrilled by seeing the magic behind the music that has been the soundtrack to a generation, with new ages also experiencing the wonder of such music for the very first time.
Our first act concludes when the band plays a show in Harlem, New York; one showing the controversy around the music of the band and their reception around the country! As part of this, we are also treated to some incredible music performances from Laura-Dene Perryman as Marlena Madison and Miguel Angel as Tyrone Jones; their stage presence is simply divine!
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| Photo by Hamish Gill |
In Act Two, we see the fall of the Crickets as the band conflict and make their separate ways, as Buddy embarks on a solo career and marries Maria Elena in a totally whirlwind romance. In a particularly touching moment of the show, Buddy dedicates True Love Ways to his new wife in a beautiful acoustic moment. As our show concludes, we see the final concert that Buddy was sadly able to perform, in Clear Lake, Iowa, alongside Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. This concert portion of the show is absolutely electric, with all three performers giving outstanding performances with tracks
such as Chantilly Lace, La Bamba and Rave On. The atmosphere in the theatre at this point was something amazing to witness; audience members on their feet, joining in when permitted to and with beaming smiles on their faces as they relived old memories and made new ones. I found myself with hairs stood on end both to experience this in real time but also to realise that this would indeed be the last performance the three men being portrayed would have given.
such as Chantilly Lace, La Bamba and Rave On. The atmosphere in the theatre at this point was something amazing to witness; audience members on their feet, joining in when permitted to and with beaming smiles on their faces as they relived old memories and made new ones. I found myself with hairs stood on end both to experience this in real time but also to realise that this would indeed be the last performance the three men being portrayed would have given.
The finale of the show handles this in a tasteful and moving way; a single guitar and use of a spotlight giving a fitting tribute. Whilst the tragic end to the story is poignant, the end of the show itself has a party atmosphere and is not one to be missed.
I am forever in awe of performers who are able to play instruments with insane talent and act, and this cast do just that throughout the show. I was particularly blown away by some incredible double bass playing as well as a wonderful saxophone solo! To play this music with such skill is one thing, but to do so whilst also telling such an interesting story is on another level entirely! The singing and stage presence of the entire cast were phenomenal; Miguel Angel (as both Valens and Jones) commanded the stage and his HIPS were captivating and Joshua Barton’s Big Bopper had the brightest smile and most bubbly personality with perfect mannerisms and impressionism. Andrew Farrell, Marta Miranda, Ewan Ling and Thomas Fabian Parrish gave engaging performances, again both playing multiple contrasting roles with skill and stage presence. Our Crickets (Stephen Alexander-Kerr, Joe B. Mauldin and Joe Sterling) were all likeable complemented one another brilliantly whilst showing real musical prowess.
Of course, to speak about the Buddy Holly story, we need ourselves a Buddy Holly and AJ Jenks was Buddy Holly reincarnated! Not only did he look the part- in part thanks to the wonderful styling of Adrian Rees – but Jenks has clearly thoroughly researched his role, bringing all the key elements of voice,mannerism and stage presence of the late, great man himself. He had a real rapport with the audience and showed the self-assured, determined nature of Holly with real talent. If we closed your eyes, we would think we had travelled back to the 1950’s ourselves. Jenks also has West Midlands roots so it was lovely to see him command a stage like the Lichfield Garrick’s!
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| Photo by Hamish Gill |
The creative team of this show also deserve a round of applause for their total recreation of the era- the costuming was note-perfect and the clever use of set truly transported back to recording studios and theatres of the day.
I saw The Buddy Holly story with my mum, and for both generations this show provided a night of nostalgia, of up-beat fun and of new memories together that are unforgettable. I would see the show again in a heartbeat and totally encourage you to grab a ticket foryourself on tour.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tickets for Lichfield Garrick are available from https://www.lichfieldgarrick.com/events/buddy-the-buddy-holly-story before the show continues on its UK tour. Find full tour dates and information at https://www.buddythemusical.com/tickets/
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