Review – Buddy
Date Reviewed: 27th January, 2009
Venue: The Lowry
From foot-tapping start to the roof raising finale, Buddy is a rock ‘n’ rollercoaster ride through the all too brief musical history of Mr Holly.
There are times when, unfortunately, you are given superficial information, which has been blow-dried and coiffered, leaving you longing for meaty details about the great man himself. That being said, it is still a great evening’s entertainment, due to the energetic performances and classic tunes.
Oliver Seymour Marsh as Buddy Holly has real stage presence and even though his vocals are not as distinctive as Holly’s, he does have the man’s drive and enthusiasm down to pat and therefore, in his capable hands, the songs work incredibly well.
Christopher Redmond as bass player Joe B Mauldin and Dan Graham as percussionist Jerry Allison provide an excellent foil to the more exuberant Buddy. Both are skilled musicians, meaning that their live performances as The Crickets really rock. It is disappointing, though, that in the scene where they are recording many of the early tracks, the lights fade to an audio of the first few lines of the original before the music fading out and the scene continuing.
Almost all the other actors double as musicians throughout, as well as taking many different minor roles between them. The big band style set-up for the final scene is musically very tight and showcases many different performers. Carla Freeman is notable as a solo saxophonist, and also as Maria Elena, the woman Holly proposes to only five hours after meeting her.
Adrian Rees‘ set is a collage of iconic images of the era – from Chevrolet to Campbell’s Soup. Good use is made if the integrated projection screen and the radio/recording studio set.
Director Rob Bettinson encourages his predominantly young cast to create vibrant and exciting performances; which is what makes this show so watchable, as the plot itself is fairly thin.
The lengthy final concert scene is set in motion with Alex Parry as the MC working the audience as if he were really at the Surf Ballroom, Clearlake. His jokes are corny but he gets the audience involved and laughing. Once the scene starts we see Holly along with the Big Boppa and Ritchie Valens on stage together. It is difficult to watch without realising that this would be Holly’s final performance before the plane crash that took his life, adding much needed poignancy to the show.
Overall, I would defy anyone not to leave Buddy humming his tunes, after an enjoyable couple of hours, as this is a tasty piece of American Pie.
-Helen Jones