Theatre reviews

Buddy - The Musical - De Montfort Hall, Leicester


Have you ever thought what it would be like to regain your youth again? Well this is exactly what I did for around two and a half hours when immersed in the music of the late Buddy Holly. The performers were bursting with enthusiasm and putting a great deal into the songs in "Buddy", those such as 'Peggy Sue', 'Maybe Baby', 'Oh Boy', 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore', and so much more.

The scenery was cleverly done and moved around effortlessly during all the scene changes. The Leicester audience I did think were a little reserved in the first half, as they seemed reluctant to join in, but after the interval - and perhaps a drink or two - they seemed to come round and were ready to show their true colours by "dancing " in the aisles.

The magic of the 50's came through and right at the end the whole audience old and young gave a standing ovation for the encores.Gus MacGregor captured our hearts and came close to singing and looking like Buddy Holly, our imaginations filled in the rest. The actors who played the 'Big Bopper' and Richie Valens also gave remarkable performances and when we heard that they too had died in the plane crash with Buddy a tear or two was shed, this helped to bring us back to reality - the realisation that this was almost 50 years on - and it wasn't a cold icy evening in Clear Lake, Iowa but a scorching hot one in Leicester. It is difficult to believe that Buddy Holly was only around for about eighteen months for he left a legacy in Rock 'n' Roll that has been a hard act to follow. If you didn't get to see the production you certainly missed a treat.

Peggy Sue

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