Review: BUDDY THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL

The current production at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire is Buddy the Buddy Holly Story. It was the first of the jukebox musicals premiering in 1989.  It’s not just the story of the short-lived life of Buddy Holly but it also tells the story of rock ‘n roll in its infancy and the pioneers who created the sound.

Elvis was not the only one... The Beatles and the Stones have talked about Buddy’s influence on their music. Then there’s Buddy’s MUSIC….. Amber Mak has put together a cast of actor-musicians who re-create the tight harmony that was Buddy Holly and The Crickets sound.

Kiernan McCabe in his high-flying – literally - performance as Buddy, along with Jed Feder and Shaun Whitley as The Crickets, perform these classics with a studio-quality sound thanks to sound designer Michael Daly. Molly Hernandez (in her Marriott debut) portrays Maria Elena, Buddy’s sensitive and supportive wife.

The story takes us from Buddy’s start in Lubboick to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. They were one of the first white acts to be a huge success. Marcus Terrell and Melanie Brezill are the Apollo entertainers who have the job of introducing Buddy to the Apollo audience. Quite the scene and the audience ate it up.

The 100-minute production goes through the very short 3 years of a career leading up to the fateful early morning hours of February 3, 1959. This event is the basis for Don McLean’s American Pie (the day the music died).

We are given a mini-concert of what was probably heard at that concert in Clear Lake, Iowa. David Stobbe’s Big Bopper and Jordan Arrendondo’s Ritchie Valens complete the circle. The musicians are on stage and it is a treat to the ears to hear the music coming from all parts of the stage thanks to music director Matt Deitchman.

Buddy would be 87 now. We have no way of knowing how much music was still to come. It’s good to go back to the roots of the music that are such a part of our lives. Even better to hear and see the story of those artists who created it. Marriott’s “Buddy” is the right show for that lesson.

You won’t be disappointed. Go with some friends. Music takes us back to a certain time and place. Sometimes we need that transport to re-live a simpler time. By the way, you are encouraged to sing along.

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