How Buddy rose to music legend

This show is all about the rise of Buddy Holly and the Crickets and admirably played by some wonderful actors; Buddy himself is played by Alex Fobbester who not only sounds like him but portrays him with panache which would have made the great man proud.

The opening scenes are in the KDAV radio station where the Crickets are expected to play country and western music, but things changed that day, Buddy and The Crickets brought their own brand of music and changed popular music forever. Soon they were signed to Decca Records and began to set their own style which would grace radio stations across America.

This wonderful show recreates how this came about and in just three years Buddy and his band went on to create remarkable hits such as Peggy Sue, That’ll Be The Day and Raining In My Heart. The first set is all about the rise to fame of Buddy Holly and the Crickets and after the interval we move onto the change in fortunes for Buddy when he loses The Crickets as his band but joins forces with two other talented musicians, The Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson (played by Thomas Mitchells) and Ricky Valens (played by Jordan Cunningham). The show culminates in the now legendary performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa recreated on the White Rock stage where Buddy Holly, along with fellow performers, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens belt out hit after hit such as Chantilly Lace and La Bamba. The Hastings audience simply lapped it up and was singing and clapping away. The Buddy Holly story truly is a feel-good show and everyone who left the White Rock Theatre came away knowing that they had seen something special. This truly was a jaw dropping performance by all the musicians and dancers who left the audience roaring for more. Buddy Holly may no longer be with us but his music certainly lives on and writer and producer of this show Alan Janes has done a magnificent job in bringing so many talented artists together. By Malcolm Robinson. Booking on 01424 462 288 www.whiterocktheatre.org.uk.