The Buddy Holly Story
The Buddy Holly Story charts the short but explosive career of the rock ’n’ roll pioneer, from his early days in Lubbock, Texas to the heights of international fame. Told through the songs that defined a generation, it captures his drive to break musical boundaries, his partnership with the Crickets, and the tender romance with Maria Elena. With a soundtrack of hits and a story that builds towards his final, tragic tour, the show celebrates both the joy of his music and the legacy he left behind.
Leading the pack as Buddy Holly is AJ Jenks. His performance is nothing short of perfect, with Holly’s mannerisms and unique singing voice completely on point. Jenks also shone with his incredible musicianship throughout the show. In fact, the entire cast showed off their musical ability playing a plethora of instruments with ease. Actor/musician shows are becoming more and more popular, and let’s be honest, elevates a show and showcases what talent we have in theatres up and down the country.
Now this show relies heavily on the music, as Holly’s life was cut tragically short at the age of 22 after he died in a plane crash with fellow musicians ‘The Big Bopper’ (Joshua Barton) and Ritchie Valens (Miguel Angel), who was only 17 on that fateful night. In light of the very short career Holly had there isn’t too much substance story wise, however when you are listening to classic songs such as ‘That’ll Be The Day’, ‘Oh Boy’, ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘True Love Ways’, it’s a perfect way to spend the evening. The second half of the show features the concert the three performers shared a stage for before heading to their plane ride which sadly ended all of their lives.
There were multiple standout performances from the likes of Joshua Barton as ‘The Big Bopper’ who gave us a larger-than-life performance of ‘Chantilly Lace’, along with Miguel Angel who wowed with ‘La Bamba’ as Ritchie Valens. I also have to shout out Laura-Dene Perryman who gave an outstanding vocal performance of ‘Shout’ but also gave an incredibly animated and full of energy performance as a backing vocalist during the second half. Her energy never waivered and it was a pleasure to see how much she was enjoying her time on stage.
Designer Adrian Rees kept the set relatively simple, but in keeping with the 1950’s era. There were few changes in the overall look of the set, however each transition worked well.
The music is the true star of this show though with no less than 30 songs performed throughout. Each and every one was a real crowd pleaser, and you could tell people were itching to get out of their seats to dance along. A real feel-good show that should be seen and which provides a fantastic balance of nostalgia and all out fun.
This show was reviewed on the 28th August 2025 at Birmingham Hippodrome where it runs until the 30th August 2025. Tickets available here: Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story – Birmingham Hippodrome
Full tour details can be found here: Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story official show website
Review written by Emma Rowley
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