John Dewey to Lead Bucks County Playhouse's Hunter Foster-Helmed BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY

Bucks County Playhouse is proud to present its second production of the summer season, the high-energy Rock & Roll musical "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" directed by Tony nominee Hunter Foster with choreography by Lorin Latarro. This show has been seen by over 22 million people world-wide, and is hailed as the most successful rock musical of all time.

"Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" will begin previews at Bucks County Playhouse (70 S. Main Street, New Hope, PA) on June 24 with an opening night scheduled for June 25 and will run through July 16. The Playhouse's 2015 productions, including "Company," also from the hands of Foster and Latarro, were hailed by the Wall Street Journal as among, "The best theatre of 2015."

Bucks County Playhouse Producer Stephen Kocis is excited to welcome audiences to the biggest show of the 2016 season, following the enormous success of "Steel Magnolias" earlier this summer. "This show is a tremendous showcase for these extremely talented young performers who are not only actors, but also musicians who play their own instruments onstage," says Kocis. "Furthermore, many of them are making their debut on the historic stage of BCP, following in the tradition of such theater royalty as Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, and many others."

From his meteoric rise to fame in 1957 through his tragic death less than two years later, Buddy Holly influenced modern music like no other performer of his generation. "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" features more than 20 of Holly's greatest hits, including "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue," "Oh Boy," and many more. The show features a book by Alan Janes and music and lyrics by Buddy Holly. It opened in London's West End, where it ran for over 10 years, and premiered on Broadway in 1990.

The cast includes John Dewey ("Hello, Dolly!") as Buddy Holly, Karak Osborn ("She Stoops to Conquer," Stratford Festival) as 'The Big Bopper' J.P. Richardson, Gilbert Sanchez ("Showgirls the Musical" Off-Broadway) as Ritchie Valens, Zach Cossman ("Band Geeks: The Musical," Regional Premiere) as Jerry Allison, James David Larson ("Into the Woods," Roundabout Theater Company) as Joe B. Mauldin, Natalie Haro (Nickelodeon's "Fred: The Show") as Maria Elena Santiago, Andrew Frace ("Jersey Boys" First National Tour) as Hipockets Duncan, Kent M. Lewis ("Mama Mia," Las Vegas) as Norman Petty, Max Sangerman ("The Lightning Thief," First National Tour) as Tommy Allsupp, Elizabeth Nestlerode ("The Meanest Birthday Girl" Off-Broadway) as Vi Petty, and Brandi Massey (Broadway's "The Color Purple") as Apollo Performer.

The production is helmed by director Hunter Foster (BCP's "Company"), and choreographer Lorin Latarro ("Waitress"), both of whom are also Bucks County Playhouse Artistic Associates. Paul Masse serves as musical director, Adam Koch is scenic designer with lighting design by Gina Scherr, costume design by Nicole V. Moody, and sound design by Matthew Given.

Bucks County Playhouse will offer discounted preview performances of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" on Friday, June 24 at 8 pm and Saturday, June 25 at 2pm. Tickets to preview performances are only $30. Opening night is Saturday, June 25 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $40-$74 plus fees. June 28th will also feature a post-show talk back session with select members of the cast and crew.

The production will play the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 pm, Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. The performance on July 1 will be at 7 p.m. owing to the New Hope Fireworks display that evening.

Single tickets to "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" are on sale now. Four-show subscription packages are also available. For full details, and to purchase tickets, please visit buckscountyplayhouse.org, call 215-862-2121, or visit the box office at 70 South Main Street, New Hope, PA. For more information about the history of the show, visit buddythemusical.com.