It’s been over 30 years since The Buddy Holly Story first resurrected the music of the 1950s rock and roll star who died in a plane crash at the tragically young age of 22.
One of the first jukebox musicals, the show opened in 1989 and in the intervening years, has played over 10,000 performances between its runs on the West End (where it was a permanent fixture for twelve years), on Broadway and around the world.
Written by Alan Janes and directed by Matt Salisbury, it tells the story of the singer’s meteoric rise to fame, from his ‘rockabilly’ beginnings in Texas to becoming an international superstar.
In his short life, he wrote some of rock and roll’s greatest hits – ‘That’ll Be The Day’, ‘La Bamba’ and ‘Peggy Sue’ among them – which he performed with his band, The Crickets.
Since the show first opened, 27 actors have played the title role of Buddy.
Christopher Weeks, who currently shares the part with AJ Jenks, tells the press what it’s like impersonating one of the most revered musical artists of all time, night after night.
First up, from a show with seventeen songs in it, does he have a favourite?
“I love ‘That’ll Be The Day’. I think it’s still such a cool song to this day. You can tell why it was such a hit when it was released.
“I also love ‘Raining In My Heart’, it shows the huge journey that Buddy went on in just eighteen months. It’s an incredibly mature song and a real contrast to his early work. It has huge depth of feeling, just like the man himself.”
As for a show highlight, for Christopher it’s got to be the moment before the show hit ‘Rave On’.
“It’s the final gear change moment for me and all of a sudden we go supersonic! We finish the previous song and it’s like standing at the top of a diving board…you know what’s coming and there’s huge anticipation!”
Christopher Weeks as Buddy Holly. Credit: Hamish Gill
It’s been decades since the world lost Buddy Holly in 1959. As such, Christopher feels a degree of responsibility when portraying the musical legend each night to teach younger audiences about the man behind the music.
“I try to show his passion, his drive and his warmth. Also his quirkiness…he wasn’t a normal guy, hardly a stereotypical rock and roll star, but that didn’t stop him. All of these things together turned him into this quiet revolutionary who changed the world,” he reflects.
Being on the road with the show for months at a time, he says, is “exhausting in a very satisfying way.” What makes it worth it?
“There’s no greater feeling than being on that stage at the height of the show, it’s the most fun you can have and a privilege to play these songs every night.”
When you’re stepping into the shoes of a 1950s rock and roll band night after night, he says, the boundaries between reality and musical history can sometimes blur.
“We often draw the parallels between ourselves and the real life Crickets…at the end of the day, we’re both bands touring the country playing rock and roll every night!”
Want to slip back in time and get swept up in the momentum of a Crickets gig yourself? The show that’s kept the spirit of Buddy Holly alive for the past 34 years is swaggering onto stage at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley next week, running from Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26. In the star’s own words, then, ‘that’ll be the day’ to see it.
The Buddy Holly Story is showing at the Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley BR1 1HA.
August 22 – 26, performances at 7:30pm with additional 2:30pm matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Admission: £20+.
www.churchilltheatre.co.uk/Online/tickets-buddy-holly-story-bromley-2023
