BWW Reviews: BUDDY Rocks and Rolls the Fulton Theatre

BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY wasn't on Broadway long. On the other hand, it opened first on London's West End in 1989 and ran for twelve years. Maybe the English appreciate real rock and roll more than New Yorkers do. The book is by Alan Janes. The lyrics and music are by everyone who ever wrote anything Buddy Holly recorded. The music on stage is provided by the cast - as with MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, everything's live by the actors on stage, down to the backbeat.

Jukebox musicals have a habit of being just a bit annoying in most circumstances. They're usually collections of assorted topical or period songs that have a thin plot holding them together, or failing to do so - SMOKEY JOE'S CAFÉ doesn't even have a book at all. On the other hand, you can't get more plot than the brief, fantastic career of Buddy Holly, or more drama than the loss of him, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens on the day the music died. You may know the story already when you walk into the theatre to see BUDDY, but you won't have felt it so deeply until you've seen those three get ready to board that plane.

BUDDY is currently at the Fulton Theatre, directed and choreographed by guest director Donna Drake. Many musical-loving theatre-goers may remember her from the original cast of A CHORUS LINE on Broadway or the tour, particularly as Maggie, but she's had a healthy career as a director for some time, both on stage and screen. No doubt it's Drake's choreography that informs this production so vividly - the ensemble band performance numbers are electric in dance as well as in music.

Andy Christopher plays Buddy Holly here, and if the part fits like a glove, well, he's played it more than once before. He's also a Laredo boy like Buddy, and it's not every guitar player who can lay claim to have been taught how to strum an axe by Buddy Holly's nephew. For a real rock and roll guitar lover, that fact alone is reason to be in the audience. But there are other people and things to see here. Lori Eure's Vi Petty is cute, perky, and at the same time flinty and iron-willed. She also plays one mean Jerry Lee Lewis-like set of piano riffs as Vi fills in with The Crickets at the studio.

Jayne Trinette, playing a singer at the Apollo Theatre, makes it clear why she's previously played Effie in DREAMGIRLS. She has a set of lungs, as well as a voice, that just won't quit. Her "Shout" isn't the end of the first act, but it might as well be - the audience is nearly exhausted from the energy in it, and much as it's great to see Buddy crack the color barrier at the Apollo, the very fine performance he and his band give there is almost a letdown after the supposed warm-up of her singing. Hint: she should be on stage at the Fulton whenever possible. Let her sing anything she wants. Anyone who's heard her will be back. Joe B., the Crickets' bass player, and the bassist in everything in the show, is played by Sam Weber, another veteran of prior BUDDY productions. Not only is he a ferocious player both on upright and electric bass, but he performs physical feats with an upright bass that are probably just not right. The calisthenic routines he displays on stage, like Trinette's singing, are a reason to be there in and of themselves.

Maria Elena, Buddy's wife, is played by Esther Stilwell. She's a steely counterpart to Vi Petty, especially when the women have a fight over Maria Elena's Latina background. Stilwell feels that Maria Elena is the moral conscience for the show. She's certainly one of its backbones. She also has a fine voice, which this reviewer has heard before, and it's a shame that there is no regular vocal part for the character, though in ensemble she does sing. Jayson Elliott is absolutely delightful as The Big Bopper, and in "Chantilly Lace," his vocal quality, although his voice is not identical, is uncannily similar to the Bopper. Ryan Jagru is equally effective as Ritchie Valens, and is a fine reminder to those who don't remember that Elvis had competition in the sexy male performer department. His "La Bamba" is killer, and it's not surprising that he and Elliott are also BUDDY veterans.

There are two slight disappointments in this show. One is that the first act, before the musical numbers come in, feels as if it's a bit slow; it could perhaps be slightly more tightly paced. The other is that, if you are already familiar with A CLOSER WALK WITH PATSY CLINE, the endings of both shows are painfully identical - the disc jockey from the hometown station sadly delivering the local audience the unfortunate news. On the other hand, the Patsy Cline vehicle doesn't follow up with a rousing "Johnny B. Goode" by Buddy, the Bopper, and Valens that has the audience dancing in the theatre. The number is a high-octane piece that is burning more calories on the stage than an hour of Zumba could.

You can expect at some point in the show to hear your particular favorite Buddy Holly numbers, whether "That'll Be the Day," "Peggy Sue," or another. And be prepared to laugh at how "Peggy Sue" got named.

Definitely worth seeing on all counts - singing, acting, musical performances, and the dancing. It's an unfortunately slow go until the main musical sequences start, but once they do, it's a continual uphill all the way to the encore. One warning: your neighbors in the audience will probably appreciate your trying to contain your almost guaranteed impulses to sing along at the top of your lungs.

At the Fulton through May 11. Call 717-394-7133 or visit www.thefultom.org for tickets and information.

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