By Kimberly Harper
According to Theatre By the Sea owner Bill Hanney on Friday night, there are lots of changes this year for the restored barn theater in Matunuck. The restaurant and bar have extended hours (something that was possibly a hinderance to the woman sitting two rows behind me, whose exuberance clearly dwarfed her tolerance, but a welcome announcement for many in attendance). There’s finally air conditioning in the house. And, rather than start the summer off slowly, this year, the company chose to open with the high energy rock musical “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.”
It’s another jukebox musical, but it’s different in a lot of ways from “Jersey Boys.” The story is a lot less “mobsters and violence” and a lot more “hometown boy doesn’t want to play by your rules or play country music.” And of course, you know going in that the ending really won’t be delving into “where are they now.” The entire second act is basically a lead up to Buddy’s last concert before he boarded that doomed plane on a freezing night along with music sensations Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.
Inevitable tragedy aside – and even with that, the show manages to end on a upbeat note that had audience members literally dancing in the aisles – the show is upbeat, rocking good fun. I know I’ve come down on shows that use canned music in the past, far preferring a live orchestra. “Buddy Holly” takes it a step past professional musicians by casting primary characters who not only look and sound the part (Michael Siktberg is perfectly cast as Holly, from his vocal inflections to how well he pulls off those iconic nerd glasses), but who rock out on their own instruments. Siktberg sounded so good on guitar that I was half convinced he was just doing a good pantomime job for the first song or two, but that’s clearly no the case. And the other principal and supporting characters are just as great. Ensemble member Shalya Simmons comes on stage in a couple of different roles, but she brought down the house with her performance of “Shout” while playing a singer at the Apollo Theater. (As an aside, the scene where Holly and The Crickets attempt to get backstage to play their set at the Apollo is particularly entertaining, since no one on the theater staff had gotten the memo that the Crickets were white.) John-Pierre Ferragamo and Albert Jennings are well chosen to represent, respectively, The Big Bopper and Valens, and the ensemble as well as the actors playing The Crickets really bring the entire show together.
Technical notes: The costumes were period appropriate but nothing that’s sticking in my mind a few days later. The set is fantastic, especially once Holly and his boys stop playing a dinky country radio station in Texas. There’s a recording studio set where Holly meets his future wife that was particularly well appointed, and if this one especially fabulous mid-century green couch goes missing at strike, well, I don’t know what to tell you. The sound quality is also flawless.
Overall, “Buddy Holly” is upbeat, fun and a nostalgic nod to when rock and roll was just getting traction in America. Even if you’re not a child of the 1950s, the music should be familiar and you’re going to enjoy listening to hits like “Peggy Sue,” especially after they give you some of the back story behind that one, and watching Jennings dance to “La Bamba.” Start your summer off right and make the drive to Matunuck to catch this one before it closes.
“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” is playing through June 19 at Theatre By the Sea, 364 Cards Pond Road, Matunuck. Tickets range between $47 and $67 and may be obtained by calling 401-782-8587, or by visiting theatrebythesea.com
