Review: BUDDY THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Oh Boy…

The current production at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace is Buddy: the Buddy Holly Story. It was the first of the jukebox musicals premiering in 1989.  It was conceived and written in England. It ran in London’s West End for 12 years. An interesting fact: Paul McCartney holds the copyright to Buddy’s music. He supported the idea and the show was produced.

It’s not just the story of the short life of Buddy Holly but it also tells the story of rock ‘n roll in its infancy and the pioneers who created the sound. Elvis was not the only one. The Beatles and the Stones have talked about Buddy’s influence on their music. Then there’s Buddy’s music. Director Matthew D. Carney and music director Chuck Mead have put together a cast of actor-musicians who re-create the tight harmony that was Buddy Holly and the Cricketts sound.  Joey Cheluis portrays Buddy. The Cricketts are Alek Boggio, Grant Alexander Brown and Elliot Coe Esquivel.

This production is the Drury Lane debut of these actors.  They give it their all and it shows. They play their own instruments. Samantha Sayah (in her Drury debut) portrays Maria Elena, Buddy’s sensitive and supporting wife. The story takes us from Buddy’s start in Lubbock to The Apollo Theatre in Harlem. They were one of the first white acts to be a huge success. Eric A. Lewis and Marta Bady - making their Drury debuts and what debuts - are The Apollo entertainers who have the job of introducing Buddy to The Apollo audience. Quite the scene and the audience ate it up.

There are 25 songs. In Act One, there is a memorable scene depicting the creation of the sounds in Everyday. You could hear gasps of amazement in the audience.

The 2 hour production goes through the very short 3 years of a career leading up to the fateful early morning hours of February 3, 1959. This event is the basis for Don McLean’s American Pie (the day the music died).

We are given a mini-concert of what was probably heard at that concert in Clear Lake, Iowa. Russell Mernagh as The Big Bopper and Elliot Coe Esquivel as Ritchie Valens complete the circle. The lighting effects during this sequence and at the time of the crash are designed by Lee Fiskness.  Visually overwhelming. After the curtain call, the audience is treated to a few more songs and encouraged to sing and dance along. In 11 days, Buddy would have been 90. We have no way of knowing how much music was still to come. It’s good to go back to the roots of the music that are such a part of our lives. Even better to hear and see the story of those artists who created it. Drury Lane’s Buddy is the right show for that lesson. You won’t be disappointed. Go with some friends. Music takes us back to a certain time and place. Sometimes we need that transport and to re-live a simpler time.