Buddy

THEY stood up and clapped the roof off. Never have I seen the Upstairs at the Gatehouse theatre erupt in such ecstasy. Check the clap-o-meter – it’s broken.

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story was off the scale. It’s the first time the West End’s classic jukebox musical has been done on the fringe stage like this and for two hours on Tuesday night we might just as well have been in central London Theatreland rather than in Highgate Village. There were a few pals, some supporter relatives in there somewhere but the standing ovation was fully merited.

The show is always a winner on paper, although director John Plews has snipped here and there, cutting out a few flabby bits and adapting it to the smaller confines. (Note: It’s small but there’s still a movable stage that they are very proud of.)

The real trick is in the casting: newcomer Roger Rowley is a better Buddy than the one I saw at the Duchess Theatre when it was a big ticket show a couple of years ago.
His carefully observed, adroit performance captures Holly’s thirsty ambition to step beyond the ho-humming world of Country and Western and the racial bigotry that divided 1950s American music.

The first time many Americans heard Brown Eyed Handsome Man, that rattling Chuck Berry song, was when Holly covered it with affection. Rowley bashes it out here like a steam train. From that song on, you can’t fail to be hooked.
Holly helped turn music on its head, splicing hillbilly odes with the rock’n’roll power that Berry, Bo Diddley and others had got people dancing with.
Buddy himself helped develop this devil’s music, influencing another generation of musicians with the craft of That’ll Be The Day and Peggy Sue. And all before the age of 22, when he died alongside The Big Bopper (Chantily Lace) and Richie Valens (La Bamba) in a plane crash in Iowa.

This show’s electricity makes you ask once more that question about what more Holly might have achieved if that small aircraft had stayed in the air. But it’s not all about Rowley’s splendid impersonation. The rest of the cast – some slightly off-key accents aside – are on form.
Actors who play instruments, they effortlessly swap tools on stage. Deanna Farnell jolts between keys and bass guitar, Richie Hart from guitar to trumpet and Nicky Swift from sax back to keys. By the end, all are on stage and urging the audience to join them there too. Buddy may have flown into the unknown but it’s like one big, old fashioned rock’n’roll party. Don’t be worried about gatecrashing it, they’d love to see you there.

Buddy Holly rises from the dead in Roger Rowley’s energetic performance. And an enthusiastic cast gives every number an infectious effervescence. Not only do the actors sing, but they also multi-task as instrumentalists, in a production which deploys everything from the celeste and leg-slapping drums on ‘Everyday’, to drums, keyboards, guitar, sax and vocals.

As the eponymous Buddy, Rowley’s well-observed performance is hauntingly authentic, from excitable vocals and awkward dancing to unflinching ambition. However it’s a weakness that Buddy’s death is glossed over, failing to capture the true waste of talent extinguished at 22. And the less said about the Texan accents the better.

However, director John Plews has perfectly honed the script for the small space and the theatre’s use of a moving stage and multi-level set makes for an intimate yet spectacular atmosphere. Feeling like we’d stumbled in on a genuine Crickets performance, we start to get an idea of why this rock ‘n’ roll lark might have caught on.

****

When Buddy last played in London it was bang in the middle of the West End (at the Duchess) with its name in lights, so it comes as some surprise to find it restaged above a pub in Highgate Village. But Upstairs at the Gatehouse is one of the better established fringe theatres and director John Plews, one half of Ovation Theatres, has a pulled off a show that would rival any West End production.
The story spans from Buddy’s beginnings as one member of the Crickets, a struggling band in Texas, fighting to keep his creativity, through to his rapid rise to success and finally the last concert before his tragically premature death in 1959.

The small venue works particularly well for the recording scenes. In the bigger scenes such as the concerts at the Apollo and Clearlake it feels as though you’ve been lucky enough to get to the front of the crowd. Set designer Fi Russell has used the stage very well. Placing the radio cubicles above the stage to be spotlighted when needed is a masterstroke and used to great effect when conveying Buddy Holly and the Crickets’ rise in the charts.

There are a few standout performances from the multi-talented cast. Andrew Ashford as Hipockets is perfect; he manages to be funny whilst conveying real affection towards the young Buddy. Furthermore his narration as the Texan DJ/manager locates you firmly in the ’50s. Jason Blackwater’s Big Bopper is fantastic and his performance of Chantilly Lace at Clearlake is one of the best of the night.

Roger Rowley has the difficult task of portraying Buddy Holly. He is clearly a talented musician and his singing as Buddy is spot on for most of the show. In the ‘on stage’ Buddy performances he manages not only to imitate his unique voice, but also his mannerisms. ‘Off stage’ he is less convincing. There are a couple of moments of supposedly high drama, which instead seem a little flat. But there are some affectionate moments between him and Emily Altneau’s Maria Elena Holly.

The rest of the cast, who play several instruments, as well as several parts each, really shine in the musical numbers where they are allowed to let loose. The joyful energy at the end when the stage erupts with music is so infectious that it will have the audience, many of whom may remember Holly’s music when it was in the charts, dancing along.

The Buddy Holly Story was never meant to be a faithful biography but a fun celebration of the legend’s incredible music. If you love Buddy Holly, if you love rock and roll, you will love this.

OH BOY! DON’T MISS THIS ENERGETIC BUDDY*****

THE show began with Buddy and his Crickets interrupting a folk group rendition of Rose Of Texas with an ear-wrenching rock ‘n’ roll number frightening those on-stage Texans almost as much as it did me. Rock ‘n’ roll music is not my choice of easy listening and that first crashing sound made me wish I hadn’t come. But the sheer enjoyment and energy of these young performers completely won me over and, at the end, I was joining in the standing ovation, applauding and cheering with the rest of them.

The Texans fired him, of course, but his manager, High Pockets, tries to smooth it over: “He said you were original.” “Is that a compliment?” The Texans fired him, of course, but his manager, High Pockets, tries to smooth it over: “He said you were original.” “Is that a compliment? “Not the way he said it.” Buddy became enormously successful during his sadly short life and the show finishes with his final appearance at Clear Lake in the middle of a bleak winter. Here Ritchie Vallens, The Big Bopper and Buddy were all killed when their plane crashed. As Don Maclean said, it was “The day the music died”. This show proves it didn’t.

It was written by English writers Alan Jones and Rob Bettinson with the co-operation of Buddy’s wife Maria Elena so the actual story must be taken with a pinch of salt. There may be a stronger story if told from another point of view. But who cares, it’s the music that counts and the music appears to be loved by all.

This is the freshest team of actor/musicians ever and every one of them is a joy. They are led by the amazing young Buddy addict Roger Rowley. Sean Green is dynamic and effective as Sam the Man and a mean, piano player to boot. Andrew Ashford as Highpockets and Jason Blackwater as The Big Bopper are equally memorable.

But none of this could have happened had it not been for the fanatical devotion and brilliant casting of director John Plews and Racky Plews who staged the musical numbers. This is a show to be proud of and deserves every success.

Rating ****

Previously a long-running staple of the West End, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story returns to North London for its first fringe production in Highgate’s Upstairs at the Gatehouse. It tracks the meteoric rise of Buddy Holly who managed to become one of the world’s top recording artists and shape the future of rock’n’roll music in just a couple of years before his untimely early death.

This musical puts that music full square in the centre of the show and deservedly so. Part biopic, part tribute concert, we follow Buddy and his Crickets friends on their struggles to record the type of music they wanted, their subsequent rise to fame and what it did to them. Featuring about 20 of Holly’s songs (almost every one a classic) and both acts climax in mini concerts, indeed most of the second act is a replication of the ill-fated final concert at Clear Lake, featuring Richie Valens with La Bamba and Big Poppa singing Chantilly Lace on top of Buddy Holly’s numbers to provide a bit of variety and it is all just an absolute pleasure to watch.

As Buddy Holly, Roger Rowley is very accomplished and he needs to be, the whole show rests on his shoulders, but he gets across the perfectionist intensity that drove him to great things in the studio and the nerdy charisma that permitted him to convince others to stay with him recording things over and over. His singing and guitar playing were also of an excellent standard, keeping the audience engaged and enthralled throughout.

All the actor/musician ensemble members work extremely hard though, all playing multiple roles and switching between instruments with ease. Stand-outs for me were Jason Blackwater’s Big Bopper, Nicky Swift’s sax playing, Jos Slovick’s Ritchie Valens and probably the funniest moment of the night, Deanna Farnell’s comic rendition of the US national anthem. But there really are no weak links here, everyone is having a great time and it shows.

There are issues around the scene changes. Having to wrestle large instruments and cables around a very small space presents the obvious logistical problems and these will become smoother over time, but there were much simpler changes which took just as long for no apparent reason and these really do need to be tightened up. And if you are going for a night of drama, then you will be disappointed: the telling of the story really does take a backseat to the music with very little emotional engagement being permitted, the only real connection coming with Buddy and new wife Maria-Elena duetting on True Love Ways and no real drama, even during the split with his backing band, the Crickets.

And this is the only real problem with Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story: because his life was so tragically short, there isn’t too much of a story to tell and little insight is provided here. In being so strong during the musical scenes, one longs for the dialogue to stop and for the band to start playing again. That said, for an evening’s entertainment, especially if you’re a fan of this era’s music, then you can’t go far wrong than visiting this tiny space for a larger-than-life experience. Finally i have to mention the lovely couple sat next to me who have been visiting the Gatehouse regularly for over 10 years all the way from Upminster. With fans like these, and indeed shows like these, Upstairs at the Gatehouse looks to have a bright future.

*****

Buddy is a roaring success at Upstairs at The Gatehouse Theatre in Highgate. Do not miss this opportunity to see vibrant young actors bring Rock n Roll to North London. The show will run until 18th April, but don’t delay. You may want to see it again.

The Show first opened in London back in 1989 and it ran for 13 years. There is a very good reason for this. It is a wonderful show, packed full of songs which are instantly recognisable and which are sang the whole way through. You don’t feel cheated, and the atmosphere and innocence of the 50’s is instantly engulfing.

We have Alan Janes and Rob Bettinson to thank for this creation. They co wrote Buddy and have since both gone on to further successes. Janes wrote many of the Minder episodes amongst other television scripts and more recently a film adaptation of Animal Farm in the US. Bettinson, went on to write screenplay for a Death of a Salesman, and many others.

The cast is young, energetic, enthusiastic and extremely talented. Roger Rowley, playing the part of Buddy is yet to graduate from the Guildford School of Acting, but has already been awarded the singing prize in his second year. This is the second time he has taken on the part of Buddy. The first time was in Leeds and he has now made it completely his own.

It is difficult to pick out any other performance as they each offered so much to the production. Musical talent abounds on this small stage, but miracles happen at each production, and this is one of their better miracles.

If you have seen the West End version and are getting withdrawal symptoms, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed with the quality of this production, its musicality, staging, and quality of acting. Though there were a few lapses in the Southern accents at the start, this was soon forgotten as we were taken down memory Lane in fine vocal form.

Are you feeling a little jaded after a long dark and cold winter? Then Buddy is what you need, even before the blossoms grace the barren trees. The show will make you smile and sing along, and it finished with a standing ovation.
Need I say more.
Just go and see it. You will love it. It glistens.

Previously a long-running staple of the West End, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story opens in North London for its first fringe production in Highgate’s Upstairs at the Gatehouse. It tracks the meteoric rise of Buddy Holly who managed to become one of the world’s top recording artists and shape the future of rock’n’roll music in just a couple of years before his untimely early death.

This musical puts that music full square in the centre of the show and deservedly so. Part biopic, part tribute concert, we follow Buddy and his Crickets friends on their struggles to record the type of music they wanted, their subsequent rise to fame and what it did to them. Featuring about 20 of Holly’s songs (almost everyone a classic) and both acts climax in mini concerts, indeed most of the second act is a replication of the ill-fated final concert at Clear Lake, featuring Richie Valens with La Bamba and Big Poppa singing Chantilly Lace on top of Buddy Holly’s numbers to provide a bit of variety and it is all just an absolute pleasure to watch.

As Buddy Holly, Roger Rowley is very accomplished and he needs to be. The whole show rests on his shoulders, but he gets across the perfectionist intensity that drove him to great things in the studio and the nerdy charisma that permitted him to convince others to stay with him recording things over and over. His singing and guitar playing were also of an excellent standard, keeping the audience engaged and enthralled throughout.

All the actor/musician ensemble members work extremely hard though, all playing multiple roles and switching between instruments with ease. Stand-outs for me were Jason Blackwater’s Big Bopper, Nicky Swift’s sax playing, Jos Slovick’s Ritchie Valens and probably the funniest moment of the night, Deanna Farnell’s comic rendition of the US national anthem. But there really are no weak links here, everyone is having a great time and it shows.

The telling of the story really does take a backseat to the music with very little emotional engagement being permitted, the only real connection coming with Buddy and new wife Maria-Elena duetting on ‘True Love Ways’ and no real drama, even during the split with his backing band, the Crickets.

And this is the only real problem with Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story: because his life was so tragically short, there isn’t too much of a story to tell and little insight is provided here. In being so strong during the musical scenes, one longs for the dialogue to stop and for the band to start playing again. That said, for an evening’s entertainment, especially if you’re a fan of this era’s music, then you can’t go far wrong than visiting this tiny space for a larger-than-life experience.

Finally, I have to mention the lovely couple sat next to me who have been visiting the Gatehouse regularly for over 10 years all the way from Upminster. It just reminds you that for all the talk of theatre needing to reach more diverse audiences, it is the continued support of regular fans that enables smaller theatres such as Upstairs at the Gatehouse to look to the future.