Oh Boy! ‘Buddy’ Holly raves on in Lincolnshire
Michael Kurowski, Kieran McCabe, Jed Feder, and Shaun Whitley. Photo by Liz Lauren.
The Jeff Award for The Cast Having the Most Fun in the Summer of 2023 goes to Marriott Lincolnshire’s Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. Patrons, take note: your soul will thank you for taking an evening (or afternoon) to join them.
A cast of impeccable actor-musicians put across signature renditions of the best of the Buddy Holly and friends’ songbook. They’re led by youthful Kieren McCabe as Holly, reproducing the icon’s signature vocal hiccups, falsetto and percussive guitar playing. He also taps into that old Holly energy: unassuming, musically-driven, loyal friend, business neophyte, and smitten romantic.
Condensing Alan James’ two-act show into one, director/choreographer Amber Mak reduces the drag while retaining all the greatest hits. Patrons are treated to near-perfect renditions of the Holly songbook, “That’ll Be The Day,” “True Love Ways,” “Peggy Sue,” “Everyday,” “Oh, Boy!” “Rave On,” etc. along with the hits of his contemporaries, “Chantilly Lace,” “La Bamba,” “Shout,” “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” and “It Doesn’t Matter Any More,” among others.
If there’s a tradeoff to the trimming, the husband-and-wife relationship—Buddy and Maria Elena Santiago, to whom he proposed five hours after their first meeting—seems a little underdeveloped. But rendering that a non-issue, Mak cast the impeccable Molly Hernandez to reprise her performance from 2018’s American Blues Theatre’s two-act version. Here, Hernandez delivers the pivotal dramatic scene, standing up for herself and her Latina heritage against Holly’s chief influencers, leading Holly to embark on his solo career.
A second genius stroke in this production comes during Holly and the Crickets’ performance at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Marriott’s in-the-round setting casts the largely white, suburban musical audience as Black Apollo Theater patrons in 1957, watching the first-ever white performers on Apollo’s stage instead of the expected R&B group. The staging provides a strikingly tangible experience of racism from a varied perspective.
It’s this kind of purposeful, Easter-egg subtlety that sparks particular joy in Mak-directed shows, the result of tireless, dedicated research. Telltale is her note in the show’s “Playbill:” “You can’t help but jump into the rabbit hole of all the articles, documentaries, books and movies searching for the clues to honor the authenticity of the characters and events portrayed,” she wrote. And to wit, she has McCabe playing drums at the Clear Lake, Iowa, concert before the fateful events on day the music died. She obviously learned that Holly did just that for Dion and the Belmonts on Feb. 2, 1959.
If there’s a nit to point out, it’s that this same opening night “Playbill” failed to list who in the cast was playing what. Perhaps this will be rectified with an insert before the run’s end. But for those keeping score, this brilliant musical ensemble includes:
Ellie Kahn: Piano, Wooden Spoons, Wurlitzer
Jed Fader: Drums, Electric Guitar
Hernandez: Trumpet
David Stobbe: Trombone
Christopher Wren: Saxophone, Guitar
McCabe: Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Drums, Keys
Shaun Whitley: Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Violin
Cory Goodrich: Washboard, Wurlitzer
Michael Kurowski: Upright Bass, Electric Bass, electric guitar
Alex Goodrich: Banjo, acoustic Guitar
Marcus Terell: Guiro
Understudies:
Kelan Smith: Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Banjo, Saxophone, Guitar
Nolan Robinson: Guitar
Immortalized by Don McLean’s hit song “American Pie,” the plane crash killing young music stars Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper) and Holly is depicted in countless shows, films and documentaries. But it’s this honest portrayal of Holly’s life, told through his impressive music catalogue, that allows patrons to understand his genius—Holly died at age 22; invented the classic rock ‘n’ roll band structure of two guitars, bass and drums; and all his music was written and produced in a three-year burst of energy that would no doubt have gone on longer.
Thankfully this summer, this legacy will Rave On! in Lincolnshire.
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story runs through August 13th at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, IL. For tickets or more information, please call (847) 634-0200 or visit marriotttheatre.com.
For more reviews on this or other shows, please visit theatreinchicago.com.