27 – 31 January

I was born thirteen years after the tragic death of Buddy Holly, killed in a plane crash along with 17 year-old starlet Richie Valens and fellow musician JP Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) on the 3^rd February, 1959, whilst on a successful tour of the Midwest States. It was, in Don Maclean’s poignant lyrics from American Pie, “the day the music died”. However, I was privileged to watch  tonight’s show with a genuine fan, one who grew up listening to Holly’s iconic songs and someone who has seen The Buddy Holly Story many times over the years. This was my first. My review owes much to him.

An early example of the jukebox musical, writer Alan Janes’ Buddy opened in 1989 and is widely considered the world’s most successful rock’n’roll musical, having played to more than 22 million people. Over the years, the show has evolved to become more of a concert, focusing more on the musical numbers at the expense of a more detailed biographical narrative which earlier versions explored in a little more depth. As such, this feel-good semi-singalong at times feels more of a tribute act than a piece of theatre, with more than thirty different songs played live on Adrian Rees’ simple but authentic set, not least the satin-draped Clear Lake stage in Iowa where Holly gave his final, fateful performance the night before his untimely death.

But my goodness, the songs are played well. Director Matt Salisbury has assembled a prodigiously talented ensemble of actor-musicians for this latest tour, many of whom are returning cast members. AJ Jenks is exceptional as the titular lead, bringing Buddy and his Fender Stratocaster back to life in a stellar performance which builds in strength and confidence, mirroring Holly’s meteoric rise from reluctant country-and-western musician in the sleepy backwater of Lubbock, Texas in 1957 to global rock’n’roll phenomenon in under two years. Jenks captures Holly perfectly, both visually and vocally, but he is supported by an increasingly large and extremely talented backing band, as well as by the impressive duo of Joshua Barton as Richardson and Miguel Angel as Valens.

The show touches only briefly on the racial prejudices and attitudes which were prevalent at the time, the performance of a white band at the Apollo in black-dominated Harlem being simultaneously hard-hitting and humorous, whilst the staunch Catholicism of the aunt of Holly’s wife-to be, Maria Ellena, no longer features, allowing the show to eschew any deeper social commentary on race and religion in favour of the music. The tragic end to this iconic musician’s life is also only briefly, but poignantly, explored. Instead, the show’s energetic, rousing and uplifting finale, with Holly resurrected, will either get you on your feet, or get them tapping.

The music critic Bruce Eder cites Buddy Holly as “the single most influential creative force in early rock’n’roll”. Indeed, his influence on everyone from The Beatles to Elton John, from the Stones to Talking Heads, is profound, his musical legacy helping to shape contemporary music, even today. On the strength of tonight’s enthusiastic and increasingly vocal audience, (some might argue too vocal) Holly’s influence and popularity shows no sign of diminishing, with this latest tour helping to bring these timeless classics to a new and younger demographic, some of whom were here tonight. Buddy Holly, immortalised at 22, joins a tragic pantheon of influential musicians – Hendrix, Cobain, Joplin, Winehouse et al – all of whom died too soon: this show is a fitting tribute.

★★★★☆      Tony Clarke     28 January 2026