Richmond Theatre 27th June – 1st July. Reviewed By Jessica Brady
The Jukebox musical is often a chance for audiences to experience getting up close and personal with a musician or group of musicians they admire and never got the chance to see perform. Although the real artist isn’t performing on stage, their spirit is and BUDDY; The Buddy Holly Story is no exception.
The plot follows the incredibly talented Buddy Holly at the beginning of his career breaking into the music industry and ends with his tragic death at the young age of 22 in a plane crash near Clear Lake Iowa. Buddy [played by Alex Fobbester] is a musician who has been pigeon holed as a country singer from Texas but he has a lot more up his sleeve than that and defies the rules of his generation by bringing a strong rock and roll sound to his music but is met with resistance to begin with. Despite this, Buddy remains true to his band ‘The Crickets’ and his sound and gains huge success after a string of hits becoming one of the originators of rock and roll! It’s a show that allows you to get to know the man behind the hits, his intelligence and staying true to himself despite not looking like a rock and roller.
The versatile set was used as a recording studio, radio station and stage for Buddy and the Crickets performances amongst other things and if you close your eyes, it would be like you were listening to the old radio shows of the 50’s! This was a great way to make the show about the music and the quality Buddy Holly produced at a young age.
The multi-talented cast play instruments live on stage which brings the audience into the heart of the action and gives the feel of being at a real show of Buddy Holly. Alex Fobbester shares an uncanny resemblance to Buddy with the dark black rimmed glasses and is vocally identical giving a really authentic and incredible performance for the audience.
This show is perfect for anyone who loved Buddy Holly, the age of Rock and Roll, the fabulous 50’s and is a wonderful tribute to an incredible man. You will hear all your favourite tunes and be drawn into the charisma of a musician who had so much more to offer the world but the legacy he left behind is still very much alive and unlikely to be forgotten. Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is going to have you toe tapping and singing along from start to finish so go see it at The Richmond Theatre before it ends or that’ll be the day that you’ll say goodbye at the chance to catch it!