Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story

Written by Alan Janes and Rob Bettinson

Directed by Jason Southerland 

Musical Direction by Jeff Bellin 

 

Set Design, Jenna McFarland-Lord; Costume Design, Nicole Watson; Lighting Design, Matthew Guminski; Sound Design, Ed Thurber; Properties Manager, Linda Dolan; Stage Manager, Steven R. Espach; Assistant Stage Manager, Lisa Wondolowski 

 

CAST 

Jeff Bellin, Sarah Corey, Matt DeAngelis, Steve Gagliastro, Mike Jansen, A'lisa D. Miles, Travis Poelle (Buddy), Abby Leigh Rose, Eli Schneider, Jaron Vesely, Jeff Watson-Oehling, Spiff Wiegand, Matt Wolpe, Brett Maryann Wulfson 

 

Performances through March 25^th at Foothills Theatre Company 

Box Office 508-754-4018 or www.foothillstheatre.com 

 

 

Slick back your hair, roll up your jeans, plug in your Stratocaster, and rock on down to Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story for a rollicking good time.  The energy and electricity of this show threaten to burst out of the auditorium and take over downtown Worcester, even as the audience boogies in the aisles.  Featuring more than two dozen of Holly's songs, Buddy is a fast-paced musical celebration of the young singer/songwriter's life. 

 

Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holly grew up in Lubbock, Texas, and had his first recording contract with the renowned Decca label in Nashville.  Eschewing their brand of country music, he was soon sent packing back home.  After listening to Buddy plead his case ("I want to play my music, my way"), his manager referred him to independent producer Norman Petty.  With Petty's guidance, Holly and The Crickets recorded "That'll Be The Day" and made their way up the charts to #1, passing the likes of Pat Boone, Debbie Reynolds, and Elvis Presley. 

 

The Buddy Holly Story takes us on this heady ride with The Crickets as they tour the nation and hop across the pond for a welcoming British audience (a reverse "British invasion").  Arriving back in the New York office of his music publisher, Buddy meets Maria Elena Santiago and decides within five hours to make her his wife.  It isn't long before a rift develops between Buddy and his band.  They choose to stay with Petty, while the newlyweds opt for NYC and new ambitions. 

 

Over the course of 18 months, Holly wrote 50 songs and thrived as a solo performer.  In the forefront of the burgeoning Rock and Roll phenomenon, he joined the Winter Dance Party 1959 bus tour through the Midwest. Buddy headlined with Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Dion and The Belmonts, while his pregnant wife waited at home.  In a bit of foreshadowing, Maria Elena dreamt of a fireball in the sky and urged Buddy not to go on the tour.  He allayed her concerns by reminding her that they would be traveling by bus, not by air.  However, due to heating problems on the bus, Buddy, Valens, and the Bopper chartered a plane on a snowy night after a concert in Iowa.  On February 3, 1959, the plane crashed into a field.  There were no survivors. 

 

Alan Janes and Rob Bettinson show Holly's impressive impact on the musical Zeitgeist by taking us into the recording studio and on his tours.  We get to see his historic appearance at the Apollo Theater in Harlem where he wins over the audience by the power of his music, as well as his final performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.  That's the fun part, and it actually feels like being at a Buddy Holly concert. He jams with Valens and Bopper, backed up by four singers and seven musicians.  It's a shame that it has to end, but we know how it ends.  A newspaper front page projected on a screen and a voiceover announce the tragic crash.  The Stratocaster sits alone in a spotlight on center stage.  This was the day the music died. 

     

Travis Poelle is the reincarnation of Buddy Holly.  His performance is seamless in his charming portrayal of Buddy's confidence, bordering on cockiness, as he bucks the entrenched country music business in his native Texas.  Poelle plays a mean guitar and shows the versatility of his voice as he switches easily from gentle country twang to excitable rock and roll.  His use of the trademark Holly vocal "hiccup" seals the deal.  My only criticism, albeit a mild one, is that Poelle is better looking than Buddy!  However, as this is his fourth time being cast in the role, he wears it well. 

 

Supporting the star is a multi-talented ensemble, most of whom are called upon to perform multiple parts.  Three Foothills regulars - Sarah Corey, Steve Gagliastro, and Matt DeAngelis - are not only featured players as Vi and Norm Petty and Jerry Allison (one of The Crickets), but surprised me with their instrumental abilities on keyboards, trombone, and drums respectively.  Watch for Corey's over-the-top rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner," but have your earplugs handy!  Jaron Vesely plays bass as Joe Mauldin, the other original Cricket.  Matt Wolpe adds his guitar to the mix when he becomes the 4^th Cricket, but especially shows off his musical chops as the drummer in the show's finale. 

 

Spiff Wiegand is also deserving of mention, and not just because he has a great name.  He plays lead guitar in the band for the Winter Dance Party Tour and, in the fine tradition of 50's showmen, even slings it behind his head to play blind for more than a few measures.  Mike Jansen is colorful and Eli Schneider very fiery as the Bopper and Ritchie Valens.  They perform the best-known songs of their namesakes and really energize the audience with "Chantilly Lace" and "La Bamba." Overhead, the stage lights flash in synch with the rhythm.  All of these elements combine for a dazzling display of musical talent, compelling the crowd to abandon their seats and clap and bop with the beat. 

 

Costumes are evocative of the era as the boys are garbed in cuffed jeans, sport shirts, and black leather shoes.  The women have big hair and pointy glasses.  Sets are simple, representing the radio station, recording studio, or concert stage with drums on a riser, a control booth, and a couple of old-style standing microphones downstage.  Flanking the set, two large screens show projected images of the assorted locations featured in the story. 

 

The Buddy Holly story is familiar, at least to playgoers of a certain age, which may account for the fact that the book lags a bit.  There isn't much in the way of suspense when we know from the get-go that Holly rapidly becomes a success and dies tragically in the end.  However, that disappointment is minimal when placed alongside the incredible talent and energy of this cast.  Director Jason Southerland and Musical Director Jeff Bellin have put the emphasis where it belongs - on the musical numbers.  That's why it's so easy to fall in love with Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story. 

 

 

 

 

 

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