Musicals Blog

Buddy Holly Story

by Claire J Rottenberg


When I was in London several years ago, I went to see "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story" and I loved it. I grew up in the 1950s and "Buddy" was a great nostalgia trip, taking me back to a time when life seemed simpler. Like the 1978 film, "Buddy" is the story of Buddy Holly's rapid rise to fame and it ends with his tragic death several years later in a plane crash.

The stage version of "Buddy" opened in London in 1989 and it was a huge success, running for over 12 years and more than 5,000 performances. At the time, it was one of the longest running West End productions. Its Broadway counterpart did not fare as well. In fact, it only ran for 225 performances after opening on Broadway in 1990. Paul Hipp was the original Buddy in both versions and he earned the play its only Tony nomination.

Although the film and stage versions seemed quite similar to me, the details in the stage version were more accurate. There were 31 songs in the Broadway version, certainly a significantly greater number than in the film version. The songs, most of them hits for Buddy Holly, were written by a variety of composers and lyricists, including several that were composed by Buddy Holly.

The movie version of "The Buddy Holly Story" was nominated for three Academy Awards, including a nomination for Gary Busey for his wonderful portrayal of Buddy Holly. The film won an Academy Award for Best Music.

"The Buddy Holly Story" is an enjoyable, song-filled musical that is sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone who is old enough to remember the early days of rock and roll music.


Official website for the play: www.buddythemusical.com

Information Sources
Wikipedia - The Buddy Holly Story
Internet Broadway Database
Internet Movie Database