BWW Reviews: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY in San Antonio

Many of us were not yet born when Buddy Holly died. But, so many of us remember the Don McLean hit, "American Pie." The lyrics still get to many today. "I can't remember if I cried, When I read about his widowed bride, But something touched me deep inside, The day the music died." The hit show THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY has been performed all over the world. Audiences are touched and become emotional as they are swept away into the life of the iconic performer, Buddy Holly. The performance at The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio, Texas was no exception. The audience was captivated by the performance of Todd Meredith as Buddy Holly and how well he played the role. Meredith is best known for his portrayal of Holly in the tribute band The Rave-Ons. His rich vocals and amazing guitar skills were a close match to Buddy Holly himself. And that is what drew the audience in from the very beginning as Meredith belted out song after song. Other stand outs in the show included David Reed who played many parts including the M.C. at the Apollo. His singing talent and comedic moments stole many of the scenes and complemented Meredith in his role. Eddie Maldonado did a great job as Richie Valens and Mike Brennan gave a stellar performance as the Big Bopper.

The story of Buddy Holly centers around the short career of Buddy Holly and how he helped shaped a lot of careers because of his unique approach to music. Holly wouldn't take no for an answer and because of that, he saw a lot of success. Holly's career was cut short in the tragic plane crash that took his life and the lives of Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. But, his legacy lives on.

As the show shared the last concert this trio would ever perform, the emotion of the impending doom was felt throughout the audience. Buddy Holly's famous guitar was placed alone onstage in a single spotlight as the announcement of the loss of great talent was made. Then, Meredith stepped forward to the microphone, took off his Buddy Holly glasses and spoke directly to the audience. He reminded everyone of the anniversary of the plane crash and the loss of these great men and asked everyone to join in and sing Don McLean's "American Pie." Talk about emotion. The chorus began and the audience sang loud and proud, "Bye, by Miss American Pie..."

Don't miss your chance to see THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY when it comes to a theater near you. It's worth the trip down memory lane to a place when rock and roll was new!

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