Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is a staple of the ‘feel good’ musical scene, being the originator of the jukebox musicals which now dominate stages up and down the country. This is a well-known and popular show but any reviewer must meet Buddy on its own terms. It isn’t a complex analytical take on the meteoric rise of a musical icon. This is a light-hearted biopic designed to get the audience singing and clapping along gleefully, which it admirably accomplishes.
The show has something of an uphill struggle conceptually because it has to frame Buddy as the contemporary revolutionary he was, whereas now his music is firmly established. There are nice touches to achieve this – kicking off with staple Country & Western song to establish the status quo, commercial jingles delivered over scenes changes to reinforce the wholesome, stuffy demeanour of 1950s America.
The basic trajectory of the musical biopic is set in stone (partly as a result in this show) so the plot will hold no surprises even for those unfamiliar with Buddy Holly. This being the first time I have seen the show, I was surprised how much lip service Buddy paid to the toxic politics of the time. Usually productions geared towards raucous entertainment gloss over such things but the anxieties about being mistaken for ‘coloured’ musicians and the implications of that when hailing from the Southern United States were touched upon more than once. This isn’t eviscerating social commentary but it’s more than I expected and it was appreciated.
As affectionate as the narrative scenes are – I particularly liked the recounting of how the tune Peggy Sue was named – the strength of the show ultimately rests on the music and the actor-musicians performing them. Glen Joseph (who alternates with Alex Fobbester) is a fitting avatar for Buddy with his goofy charm, and he carries the tunes very well. He’s admirably supported throughout by an all-singing and dancing cast. The Apollo compères played by Jordan Cunningham and Miguel Angel deserve special attention for their versatile and energetic work – Cunningham cycling around in the cast to play Richie Valens for the big finale.
I have trouble assessing if this show would do anything to win around the uninitiated. In a theatre packed with established fans, Buddy certainly impressed those with a discerning appetite for the legacy of the late musician or the prior iterations of this production. Buddy is an enthusiastic crowd-pleaser and if you wanted a rockabilly extravaganza, you wouldn’t go wrong by seeing it. ★★★★☆ Fenton Coulthurst 17th January 2017
Photos are of previous casts
