THE multi award-winning rock ‘n’ rock musical Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is a poignant reminder of how life can be so cruel.
Cut down in his prime at the tender age of only 22, Buddy Holly was tragically killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 3 1959.
He died alongside the pilot Roger Peterson and his rock ‘n’ roll music friends Ritchie Valens, 17, and ‘The Big Bopper’ JP Richardson, 28.
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, which has returned to the Theatre Royal Bath is a joyous celebration of his life and his music.
A smash hit on London’s West End and Broadway in New York, the rock and roll musical is visiting Bath for the first time in 20 years as part of a major UK tour.
Boasting a multi-talented cast of actor-musicians, the show presents two terrific hours of music featuring more than 20 of Buddy’s greatest hits.
They include the timeless classics That’ll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Oh Boy, Everyday and Rave On.
Buddy’s hits were written and recorded in just 18 months as the bespectacled boy from Lubbock, Texas, revolutionised the face of contemporary music.
The show tells the enduring story of the music icon’s meteoric rise from his Southern rockabilly beginnings to international stardom.
It ends with his legendary final performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, before his tragic and untimely death.
On Tuesday’s first night, AJ Jenks reprised the role of Buddy, alternating performances with Christopher Weeks.
They are joined by Joe Butcher as Joe B. Mauldin, Josh Haberfield as Jerry Allison, Daniella Agredo Piper as Maria Elena Holly, Miguel Angel as Ritchie Valens and Tyrone Jones, and Christopher Chandler as ‘The Big Bopper’.
Their versions of the Big Bopper’s Chantilly Lace and Ritchie Valens’ La Bamba, and rip-roaring versions of Shout and Johnny B. Goode completed a stellar musical line-up.
The show ended with a standing ovation for the cast – who generously performed one more song before the curtain finally fell.
It doesn’t matter whether you are young or old - go enjoy yourself at a fantastic and enduring tribute to a great songwriter and musician.
It’s easy to see why Buddy Holly influenced everyone from John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones.
Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story appears at the Theatre Royal Bath to Saturday, April 8.
To purchase tickets contact the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or book online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk
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