BWW Reviews: The Hills (Peter J. and Fountain!) Are Alive with the Sounds of BUDDY

Peter J. Hill rocks and rolls with a punchy and spirited production of BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY, featuring Jack Lambert's flawless performance as the legendary singing idol.

Hill knows how to throw a party and, under his direction and stellar set design, the stage of Fountain Hills Theater becomes a celebratory bandstand for the story and music of the kid from Lubbock, Texas whose short-lived career ensconced him in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and established him as one of the giants of the medium. Holly was a prolific composer whose style and method, in collaboration with Joe Mauldin and Jerry Allison (The Crickets), influenced the likes of Waylon Jennings and The Beatles and remains refreshingly distinctive as the twenty plus songs in this jukebox musical attest.

This is the chronicle of Holly's breakaway from country singer to his breakthrough as a rock star. Written by Alan Janes, it is a tale of sound and ironies, pelvic twists and career turns, and the risks of fame, all signifying the low and very high notes of one star's rise to grace.

His journey to fame is an all-too-short and winding road. It begins in the studio of KDAV where, when the DJ is away, Buddy and The Crickets will play rock to the consternation of the station's producers. Next is Nashville where Buddy's obstinacy and his determination to do his music his way strains his arrangement with Decca Records. It is repeat-disengagement-time until KDAV's DJ, "Hi-Pockets" Duncan (Alex Gonzalez), connects Buddy with Norman Petty (Hill) and all rock breaks loose.

Petty provides the latitude for Buddy's genius to flourish and, from 1957 to 1958, Holly and the Crickets are topping the charts and producing such timeless hits as That'll Be the Day and Peggy Sue.

Buddy's life changes course with his 1958 marriage to Maria Elena Santiago (Natalie Kilker), his parting of the ways with Petty, and his breakup with Mauldin (Bailey Zick) and Allison (Joshua SantaCruz). On his own, Buddy is on tour and the road now leads him in February of 1959 to the Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, where he performs with Ritchie Valens and J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper).

While there is a gnawing awareness of the tragedy that is to come on the day that the music died, the musical does not dwell on it. Rather, the house is shaking with finger-snapping and hand-clapping as Mr. Lambert and ensemble electrify the audience with Buddy's music. Lambert has Buddy's moves and voice range and hiccups down pat. Sky Donovan is like greased lightning as Valens. Bill Bennett is delightfully smooth as the Bopper. The entire cast has given us cause to celebrate Buddy's life and leave the theater with so many songs in our heart and on the tips of our lips.

Buddy is unequivocally a crowd-pleaser, and the broad grins of the audience provide proof-positive that this is a show to be seen and relished.

The show runs through August 16th at Fountain Hills Theater's Mainstage.

Photo credit to Fountain Hills Theater

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