Buddy o’ Mine
(Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story musical review)
The Stanley
Vancouver, B.C
Buddy and the bunch made it to the infamous Winter Party of 59’ concert where the simulated alley scene showed very genuine looking gig posters of bluegrass, country and blues legends Bill Monroe, Banjo Man and T-Bone, respectively. To add to the purity of it all, all audience members were handed out facsimiles of the original handbill for the night’s performance. One of the flyers had a special red star affixed to it, granting the lucky owner a prize to be claimed after the show. Each member of the crowd searched to see if they were the lucky one. When the gent who had the red-letter print was called upon and asked where he was from, he said, “Right here!” Although tonight’s representation was a little heavier on the pocket than the $1.25 printed in front of me, it was, nonetheless, worth every penny.
Kieran Martin Murphy, as the Big Bopper, took to the stage as well as young-at-heart gal’s grace. Noticing a quaint little senior in the front row, he jumped down and secured her hand as they danced and sung “Chantilly Lace” like a couple of kids. When it was Buddy’s turn to play, he brought out the entire cast, doubling as backup musicians, singers and dancers. Three men in suits to his
left, three ladies in dresses to his right and a full band ensemble to his back. The group performed jovial reimagining’s of “Maybe Baby” and “Peggy Sue Got Married” before Richie Valens (Michael Scholar Jr.) came out for a snappy delivery of “La Bamba.”
Buddy appeared, standing still, behind a spotlight shone only on the body of his blue Fender Stratocaster, amidst a darkened stage. A crackle from a radio was heard with the news of the untimely plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson during a chilling Iowa snowstorm on February, 3, 1959. Now, I suddenly realized what Don McLean meant when we sung the bleak prose within American Pie with: “But February made me shiver / With every paper I’d deliver / But something touched me deep inside / The day the music died.”
Had the show ended on such a note, I’m confident Buddy would rock and roll right on out of his grave and appeal to such, demanding a proper finale, getting his way as he always did. So, the whole cast reappeared, ending on a high note with a grandiose encore that included classics such as “Rave On” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.”
I recently read that Buddy was a bit of a punk rocker for his day. Immediately intrigued, I chose to investigate such a claim. For what’s it’s worth, the man basically said, “We’re speedin’ it up because this is rock, not country. I’m also wearing whatever I want and I’m going to be writing songs, with my band.” This was pre-Beatles. Elvis was still out there rerecording other people’s songs. Punk rock or not—he was the real deal.
Thanks, Buddy.
- Weasel Was Here
Behind the scenes of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story Part Two
It was interesting to learn about the band’s decision to change the song name “Peggy Sue” from “Cindy Lou” as a successful attempt for drummer Jerry Allison to win a young lady’s heart. The recording scene showed his character purposely fudge up the drums to get his way with his requested name change. Peggy and Jerry would later get married and have “Peggy Sue Got Married” tell their tale. Sitting amongst many golden-age patrons who were happily singing along to each number, reminiscing of the release of these timeless gems made the vibe furthermore authentic. Unlike the bulk of the hard working cast—these people were actually there.
Upon return from intermission, Elena Juatco was introduced into the scene, playing Maria-Elena, the coy receptionist at Peermusic with whom Buddy was quick to both flirt and tease during their initial connection. It’s hard to say if Buddy carried himself so smoothly in real life, but Zachary was sure to portray it, so. In this production, Buddy’s character seeks her aunt’s permission that very evening (as opposed to the next day) for a date where he proposes, and to which Maria gladly accepts his swift offer.