Buddy Holly may not have had the glamour of a Presley or a Cochran but he certainly knew how to sing his way out of 'Hicksville' and into the music hall of fame and fortune.
There can't be many of us who don't know the story of how this bespectacled musician from Lubbock, Texas, who wrote some of the most memorable rock hits in history - Peggy Sue, Rave On, That'll Be The Day, rose to fame and then who's life was cut so dramatically short when he was killed in a plane crash at the tender age of 21.
Yet even knowing everything about the man and his music, Buddy the Musical continues to get audiences rocking in the isles. And why? "It's the best of the compilation musicals. A hugelyenjoyable piece of singalong nostalgia," says Evening Standard critic Nick Curtis.
The play recreates the early years when Buddy was backed by a lone voice - the DJ on the radio station of his home town. And we follow his rapid rise to fame, his marriage and rows with his friendly DJ and his lone road to stardom.
The sets are uncomplicated and the characters superficial. But, hey, what do people come for? The music, of course - and that's the big star of the whole thing. His songs are ever-present and all are heard at some point. This is why the show works so well. People want the music.
And the clever point that keeps it all fresh is the frequent cast change. And fresh it is - that's why people come back again and again to get their Buddy fix.
Lubbock, Texas could never have been so much fun.
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
