REVIEW: Buddy ROCKS La Mirada!

Quite simply put, there aren't enough good things to say about the La Mirada Theatre's recently-opened production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. This show rocks, rolls, and leaves the audiences dancing in the aisles to a soundtrack that it's hard to believe was written over 40 years ago.

Before there was Memphis  and Dreamgirls and was Hairspray...there was Buddy Holly, a scrawny white boy with glasses from Lubbock, Texas who wanted to sing rock and roll in a country-dominated music scene.  But he changed the face of music forever at the age of 22 and this musical is a stunning and remarkable tribute to a true pioneer.

In discussing why this show is so effective and works so well, the conversation has to begin and end with the leading man himself, Mr. Brandon Albright, in the title role. This man does it all. He sings like an angel, acts with heartfelt emotion and sincerity, and plays the guitar and leaps off of amps like a fiend. He's the whole package. The only problem with Brandon Albright is that he's much better looking than the real Buddy Holly! But this entire cast is phenomenal. There's really nothing quite like the treat of watching actors in a musical play their own instruments, so to watch all of these performers churn out this renowned, iconic music from the stage makes it all the more electrifying. Omar D. Brancato and Matt Wolpe as Buddy's bandmates The Crickets are sensational in their scenes and in their songs. And not only does local stage and cabaret favorite Jennifer Leigh Warren steal the show as she belts it up to the rafters as the Apollo Singer, but you can't stop watching her even when she's in the sidelines. She just looks like she is having so much fun up there, and the audience can't help but reciprocate.

There a couple nitty-gritty problems to consider. Alan Janes & Rob Bettinson's dialogue is not the cleverest by any means, although the actors really do make the most of it. Storywise, there's isn't anything particularly remarkable either. It's the same old bio musical formula: Band struggles against racial barriers, rises to fame, the band breaks up but the music lives on, the end. The first act is much stronger than the second, although both acts end with a mini-concert. The plot just ends and Buddy does a set. In some ways it's a bonus, in some ways it seems like a creative cop-out. You decide. There are two basic reasons why the second act is particularly dragged down. The first of which is the introduction of Maegan McConnell as Buddy's wife Maria Elena. Not only does her character pull a "Yoko" and break up the band, but her wooden acting and appalling accent makes it hard for the audience to sympathize with Buddy's choice to leave the band for her.

The second, and perhaps most disappointing part of the show is unfortunately the ending. And no, that is not referring to actual ending. We all know what happens to Buddy Holly. Don McLean coined it best as "The day the music died." Going into this show not knowing how it's going to end is like saying you watched Titanic and were surprised when the ship sank. It's the way that director Glenn Casale handles it that bears the problem. Instead of really letting the fate of Buddy Holly resonate with the audience when the moment arrives, we get some bizarre seconds of slow-motion flailing before the lights go back up and the finale concert continues. It's hard to describe, but needless to say Casale's choice really deprives the audience of a significant emotional part of the show. When all is said and done, you feel more like you watched two and a half hours of a Buddy Holly tribute band than an actual show about his life. All the way up until this point the audience has been invested in this character, his music, and himself as a person. It seems criminal to deprive them of a few moments in the darkness to mourn that loss, that's all.

But, wanting to focus on the good and spare us the sad is not exactly a terrible offense. The show is, above all, just an absolutely wonderful and spectacular good time. Appropriate for all ages, and resonant on both an emotional and historical level, Buddy is the rock and roll musical that will not fade away.

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story runs at the La Mirada Theatre (14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada) until May 2nd. Performances: Tues. - Thurs., 7:30 p.m.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2:00 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:00 and 7 p.m. Individual tickets are $50, $43, and $35. Seniors, student, children and group discounts are available. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.lamiradatheatre.com.

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