Buddy Brilliant (Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story)

Member Name: magenta23

Product:	Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
Date:	23/11/08 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great show, excellent music, expertly cast

Disadvantages: The sad ending of course

There has been a real trend with musicals recently in using a performer or band's music and adapting it to a musical, namely 'We Will rock You', 'Mamma Mia' and 'Tonight's The Night'.

Buddy is the original of these types of musical but there's no story made up here, this is the story of Buddy Holly's life. The music just works alongside the story perfectly, It's not used to tell it.

Firstly, who do you get to play Buddy? He had such a distinctive sound, the actor has to be able to do that little thing he does with his voice. (ok, thing for want of a better word, but anyone who knows Buddy holly or has seen this will know what I'm talking about!) Now worries this is cast superbly. I've seen the film and the show with two different Buddys all doing him proud. As do the actors who've played Richie Valens and The Big Bopper. Each actor brings some thing different to the Big Bopper but he is certanly my favourite character and gets one of the biggest applauses of the night.

The muscial visually is simple but works, set in the 50s, it would be wrong to have singing and dancing stage sets, it kept to the time and looks great.

The audience are really encouraged to get involved and at one point even brought into the story. At the start of the show you get a leaflet for the Winter Dance Party that Buddy, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper are playing, which features in Act Two of the show so in effect it's like you are at that party. Very clever.

All in all a great show, Buddy Holly's fantastic music is played to perfection and the story is brought to life once again. I hope Buddy lives on for a long time to come. This is one of those shows you could enjoy again and again.

Summary: A feel good show, go see it