JADAR

★★★☆☆

A pioneer of rock n’ roll, whose life was tragically cut short, it’s no surprise that there is a musical commemorating the life and achievements of Buddy Holly. An early example of the jukebox musical, it is the 14th-longest running show, and 10th-longest running musical, in West End history. But whilst it was groundbreaking at the time, it now feels its age.

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is a showcase of Buddy’s (AJ Jenks) greatest hits and memorable moments, taking us from his days as a struggling Texas country boy to his rise to rock n’ roll stardom under Norman Petty (Thomas Fabian Parrish). 

It features a whopping roster of music, from ‘Everyday’ and ‘Peggy Sue’ to ‘Oh Boy!’ and ‘True Love Ways’ but also expands past Buddy, playing well-loved 50s hits from his friends and contemporaries. Interestingly, the show employs an ensemble of live multi-rolling actor-musicians performing as a live band, adding extra depth and realism.

AJ Jenks is dynamic and enigmatic as Buddy Holly, perfectly capturing his spark as a suave rockstar but maintaining a likeable bubbly personality. Jenks’ depiction of Buddy and charismatic performances are the driving force of Buddy, which is squarely focused on the titular character.

Miguel Angel’s choreography livens up every performance with authentic rock n’ roll moves, jaw-dropping stunts, and crazy routines sprinkled throughout. His performance as Tyrone is fun, but I do wonder whether  it would have been better to have a younger actor playing ‘La Bamba’ singer Ritchie Valens. While he grooves and gives with the passion and pelvic thrusts of a teen, it felt a little jarring to be told he was just 17 years old during the final tribute. 

Designer Adrian Rees’ set pieces and costumes nicely complimented Jenks’ lively performance, with abstract Rubik’s cube-evoking backdrops and lavishly draped reflective curtains that changed colour with the aid of Jamie King-Cox’s lights.

However, being produced in the 80s, Buddy unfortunately shows signs of its age, feeling less innovative than most its jukebox musical competitors. The show often slips into tribute act territory, listing off hit after hit with very few interactions or storylines separating these mini-concerts. As one of the original jukebox musicals, it isn’t a surprise, but it’s a shame that the music isn’t purposefully integrated with his life stories.

Additionally, the lack of narrative and musical structure drew out the final act out longer than necessary.

Hipockets’ (Joshua Barton) narration also unintentionally pointed out a lot of the book’s weaknesses, describing his life between scenes rather than showing us on-stage, and prioritising the context of when songs were sung, over carefully crafted storytelling. Accompanying scene transitions were often cut by uninspired fade-to-blacks and soundtrack snippets, awkwardly long (albeit amusing) stand-up routines with clunky audience roleplaying moments that stalled the story’s momentum. While I always appreciate any show’s attempt to involve the audience in clapping, cheering or singing along, it became a little too frequent and repetitive.

It also felt a tad distasteful to have a majority White audience roleplaying as the Black audience of Harlem Apollo during segregation. Supposedly, an agent believed it was “coloured music”, leading to the booking, and making The Crickets the first White group to perform at the venue. While an fascinating tale, it felt reductive to gloss over the complexities of segregation in music and (arguably) reduce Black characters to comedy roles, especially when Black artists largely pioneered the rock n’ roll scene that Buddy adored so much.

Women were also fairly trivialised, always performing as ditsy accompaniment,  coffee pourers, or playthings in their patriarchal world. Vi and Maria Elena, both played by Marta Miranda, are interesting and playful characters that feel sidelined in their own stories. Yes, it’s a reflection of 50s worldviews, but it’s being performed in 2025 and could really benefit from some added nuance when dealing with complicated topics and what could be interesting, multidimensional characters in a show less egotistically centred around Buddy alone. Modern writing more akin to Tina or Beautiful could develop his story into a fully fledged story rather than a concert of many parts.

Act two opened with my favourite segment that really fleshed out the relationship of Buddy and the rest of The Crickets, from meeting his future wife to their group disbanding leading into Buddy’s solo career. Prior to this, the group had some hilarious jamming sessions and great chemistry infused performances, packed to the brim with mischievous gags, rock n’ roll stunts (including balancing on the double bass!) and synchronised swagger. Stephen Alexander-Kerr, Melker Nilsson and Joe Sterling had a quirky energetic relationship that translated well during their interactions. I just wish there were more of these moments, or even a second in the finale to reflect on the band’s feelings after Buddy’s tragic death.

Indeed, I was left touched but slightly bamboozled by the show’s fleeting tribute to his death. After finishing his concert in Clear Lake, the room turns dark before a solitary spotlight beams across the stage, illuminating his guitar as a voiceover describes what happened. While the shows aims to end on a positive note, I would have appreciated a little more time to process their tragic deaths, and the poignant symbol of his lonely guitar.

The production offers a great evening of toe-tapping rock n’ roll classics, brought to life by a passionate cast of actor-musicians who squeeze every drop from a fairly dry book. It’s an evening of carefree fun but it’s certainly a product of its time with dated ideals, clunky transitions, and simplistic storytelling.

Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story runs at Lowry (Quays Theatre) until September 27 and tours the UK until May 30 2026.

Photo: Hamish Gill