Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is a musical phenomenon. It played for 14 years in London’s West End, is now in its third decade, and shows absolutely no sign of diminishing in its current UK tour, which visits Bath this week.
Photo © Rebecca Need-Menear
Its success is easily accountable: it’s a warm-hearted jukebox musical packed with endless well-loved hits which can be enjoyed by young and old alike.
Featuring 29 songs, it inevitably leaves little time for character development, but then this show is all about the music.
The story begins in 1956, charting white Texan group Buddy Holly and the Crickets’ rise to fame despite playing “coloured” rock ‘n’ roll. Three years later, it ends with the beyond-untimely death of Buddy aged 22. But fear not, this is feel-good stuff which leaves the audience on a high.
The role of Buddy is alternated by AJ Jenks and Christopher Weeks; on press night it was AJ, who delivers uncanny vocals and a warm wholesome energy, with perhaps his highlight being his touching True Love Ways with simple guitar accompaniment.
The actor/singer/musician cast work seamlessly together. Thomas Mitchells has great fun segueing smoothly between roles as producers and comperes, while Miguel Angel sneakily steals the show, belting out Reet Petite whilst doing the splits, and then powering through La Bamba as a snake-hipped Richie Valens, aglow with charisma.
This is a show which seeks solely to entertain, and by the end, the entire audience is on its feet, many singing along, dancing and feeling nostalgic (whether they were even born then or not) for the more innocent and colourful 1950s.
Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is playing at Theatre Royal Bath until 8th April. Box office: 01225 448844.
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Reviewer: Steve Huggins
