A familiar narrative allows the cast to rock out to 50s rock ‘n’ roll music in BDT’s production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story
I most strongly associate Buddy Holly with the Weezer song (please do not crucify me in the comments); this alone should probably indicate that I am not the musical’s target demographic. Nevertheless, I had a charming evening out at BDT Stage in Boulder at Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and realized I knew way more of Holly’s music than I thought!
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story tells the story of Buddy Holly’s (Brett Ambler) quick rise to fame. Holly forever changed the perception of rock ‘n’ roll in three short years. This Texas-born rocker took on the entire music industry armed with his signature glasses, Fender Stratocaster guitar, and charismatic rockabilly style. Buddy is a jukebox musical that features classics from Holly’s discography like “That’ll Be the Day,” “Peggy Sue,” “Changing All Those Changes” and so many more. By the encore, several audience members had begun dancing in the aisles of the theatre along to this famously short-lived musician’s repertoire.
As I walked around the theatre, I overheard multiple tables discussing the closure of the BDT Stage. This was the first performance since Artistic Director Seamus McDonough – who attended the opening in a black cowboy shirt and gleefully helped serve patrons – had released a video that announced, after 45 years, BDT Stage would be shutting its doors. Despite the announcement of the impending closure, the theatre drew a full crowd for opening night. The house was abuzz with excited patrons who had shown up for an evening of musical entertainment.
The entrees were simple dinner-theatre food that included several vegetarian options, and the menu featured specialty drinks based on the show that came in a souvenir glass with BDT’s previous season on the glass (I got the ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ and quite enjoyed the drink!) As I ate my seared gnocchi, I marveled at the set. Scenic designer M. Curtis Grittner sets this jukebox musical inside a jukebox. The side paneling of the jukebox changes colors along with the skillful lighting design by Brett Maughan, and the floor is painted to look like a record by “Buddy Holly and the Crickets.”
Brett Ambler is a charismatic performer who sings, dances, and plays his guitar as Holly. Ambler excels at playing the brash and idealistic Holly; he is onstage for almost the whole show and his energetic performance carries the musical. Bob Hoppe and Alicia K. Meyers play the Petty couple who first produce the Crickets’ music. Ho and Meyers have good chemistry together and make a strong impression in their supporting roles. Brian Murray and Alejandro Roldan do strong impressions of The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, respectively, and both nail their solo numbers. Anna Maria High’s brief appearance as the Apollo singer is charming and incredibly memorable. The entire cast has impressive singing and dancing chops; this helps keep the musical moments moving with gusto.
The internal pacing of the musical’s dialogue scenes lacks the same spark as the musical numbers; however, they are serviceable transitions from one musical set piece to the next. Wayne Kennedy’s blocking is sharp, and the scene transitions are well coordinated. Kennedy uses a lot of projections throughout the play to help with the names of characters and locations or fill out the set. However, the show’s set pieces were strong enough that I wish they didn’t rely so heavily on the projections. The projections felt particularly clunky when used to communicate information, like the characters’ names or locations, which were explicitly discussed in the musical’s scenes.
The book crams the most important moments — like all of Buddy’s romantic life, the band’s breakup, his final performance, and death — briefly into the second act. This causes the second act dialogue scenes to be exposition-heavy and lose some steam. But the final concert scene at the Surf Ballroom ensures the second act ends on a high note. The action starts backstage and foreshadows the fatal plane ride that Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens will take after the concert. But before Holly’s final moments, the show treats the audience to a musical extravaganza that moves their massive live orchestra, under the musical direction of Neal Dunfee, to the front of the stage for an epic, big-band finale.
The Surf Ballroom performance featured the Snowbirds, the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and, of course, Buddy Holly, playing banger after banger. While this great music is playing, the ensemble is dancing up a storm, and their energy is infectious. The “Chantilly Lace” performance by Murray was really fun, and the pink shirt paired with a zebra-print jacket sold this larger-than-life performance. “La Bamba” featured fantastic lighting and killer energy from Roldan that helped propel the musical toward its dramatic conclusion.
The final moments around Holly’s death feel slightly rushed. The radio DJ, Hi-Pockets Duncan (Scott Severtson), who helped Holly back in Lubbock, comes out and delivers an emotional monologue about Holly’s plane crash and the effect it has had on the community. All the while, a light is shining on his guitar and newspaper images detail the plane crash on the projector screen. But this moment doesn’t linger long. Given the dramatic weight of this moment, it would have been nice to have the cast take slightly more time to allow the audience to process Holly’s death before launching into the upbeat “Johnny B. Good.”
Overall, the musical is a great place to hear 1950s music performed live by a talented local cast. The familiar story allows for the talented ensemble to rock out to the classic tunes. From the sounds of the young kids at the table next to me, it sounded like the music appealed to first-time listeners as well as long-time Buddy Holly devotees. The show is playing all through the holiday season and is the perfect gift for fans of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll.
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