Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story performed miracles at the Wales Millennium Centre last night. I watched 70 and 80 year old audience members seemingly become 50 years younger throughout the show, and by the end, everyone was on their feet dancing! The bobbing heads, the audible “awwwws,” and the pure joy on the audience’s faces would have been enough for me, but luckily, the show was an incredible watch, too.
At first, we are taken to the beginning of the creation of Buddy Holly and The Crickets. We follow their fight to be allowed to make rock and roll instead of country music in Nashville. From a small radio studio to their signing with Norman Petty, we witness the creation of some of their greatest hits, including “That’ll Be The Day.” This track made it to number one in a matter of weeks, making them instantly one of the biggest bands in the country.
The set barely changed as we moved between studios and watched Buddy put his foot down regarding how he wanted to be heard and seen (his iconic glasses were part of his defiance against doing exactly what the record companies told him). As we are taken to the Apollo in Harlem, the staging is simple but so clever. We watch the backstage panic when they realize they are a white band about to play to an all black audience, and then we immediately become that audience as they step carefully onto the stage and make history.
Further on, we see how Buddy met his wife, Maria Elena Santiago (played brilliantly by Marta Miranda), and the pivotal moment when The Crickets turned their backs on him.
Let me pause here to just say: Buddy Holly’s music is not something I would normally put on, and other than his iconic look, I actually knew very little about him and his story. However, AJ Jenks’ portrayal of Buddy made it hard not to fall in love with him and his music. I can honestly say he made me wish I was there when Buddy was around! He also gave off this insanely strong lead singer energy; at times, it was hard not to picture him on stage today with a modern version of The Crickets—think McFly, maybe?
We go on to be introduced to Ritchie Valens, played by Miguel Angel, and what an absolute treat that is! His rendition of “La Bamba” made it almost impossible to stay in my seat. I stupidly started questioning if it really was Ritchie Valens in front of me (which is very stupid if you know the ending, at the very least).
The Big Bopper, played by Joshua Barton, is another great pleasure to watch as he performs “Chantilly Lace” accurately, deeply, and with great charisma.
The final performance at the Surf Ballroom, featuring all three icons, is recreated so perfectly that by this point, the audience feels like they are right there in that 1959 dance hall. No longer able to resist the urge to dance, some audience members even took to the aisles to bring out their old rock-and-roll and swing moves. The energy was electric. After a brief pause to acknowledge the tragic ending of these three young lives, the songs are belted out as if we are all lifelong fans and AJ Jenks is Buddy.
It was an incredible performance, and I urge you to go even if you think you don’t know the music, because, trust me, you do.
Tickets are available at Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story | Wales Millennium Centre and it is on until May 17th.
