On Tuesday 8th October I was invited to see BUDDY at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford. Having a little bit of background knowledge about Buddy's life, I was excited to see how it was played out on stage...
Well, to put it mildly, it was fantastic. The set, the costumes, the lighting, the MUSIC and the Actor-Musicians were incredible. Watching the actors playing live on stage was a real treat, the atmosphere was like that of a concert, with people in the audience dancing along in their seats.
The audience were taken on the journey of Buddy's 18 month long career, from starting out right up until that fateful plane crash at the age of 22, that ended not only his life, but that of The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, who was only 17 years old.
Buddy Holly and The Crickets changed the course of music history in such a short-lived career. Rock and Roll was becoming the next big thing, and watching the actors playing Buddy's songs live on stage felt like we were being transported back in time and seeing it for ourselves.
The performances on stage, music and acting, are the 'Heartbeat' of this show, with every performer holding their own, often playing many roles and instruments, hopping from Saxophone to Piano, Double Bass to Bass Guitar, it was like watching a masterclass in performance.
One voice that really stood out for me, among all the obvious talent on stage, was that of Miguel Angel, playing Tyrone Jones. As soon as he started singing, the audience were cheering and clapping along, such an impressive vocal performance. Another audience favourite was The Big Bopper, played by Joshua Barton, who had clearly worked hard on perfecting his mannerisms and performance style.
The team behind this production had obviously paid tribute to Holly and his story, taking care to represent him in the best possible light. Written and Produced by Alan Janes, Directed by Matt Salisbury and Dean Elliot as Musical Director, this is clearly a trio that know how to bring entertainment value to a show.
Buddy is on until Saturday 12th October at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford, I highly recommend you go and see it!
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