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