THE ARTS ETC
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15th ANNIVERSARY SEASON
THE MAJESTIC THEATER
PRESENTS
"BUDDY"/The Buddy Holly Story
Written by Alan Janes
Directed by Danny Eaton
MUSICAL DIRECTOR, MITCH CHAKOUR SET DESIGNER, GREG TROCHLIL
LIGHTING DESIGNER, DANU=IEL D. RIST SOUNDER ENGINEER, BEN QUACKENBUSH
COSTUME DESIGNHER, EMILY DUNN STAGE MANAGER, MEGHAN LYNN ALLEN
special extended run
SEPTEMBER 8 - OCTOBER 30, 2011
BOX OFFICE
(413) 747-7797
A COMMENTARY AND A REVIEW
REMARKS BY DONNA BAILEY-THOMPSON
a compelling true story saturated with Buddy's music
As a reviewer confronted by a blank page, what bothers me the most is the challenge of writing about a production that is only a whisker away from being perfect: the “whisker” is a hedge that doesn’t carry enough weight to protect me from myself, i.e., gushing. With that confession out of the way, I’m free to scream from the rooftops that THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY is terrifically wonderful and will be super enjoyed by all who relish a great homespun tale presented by actors and musicians (mostly one in the same) whose warmth, charm and skill bring to exuberant life the early days of that daringly controversial Rock ‘n Roll, a new sound that lots of older folks were sure would overload Hell itself.
I had completed running errands and was heading for home, via 91, light traffic, no crazies lane hopping. The radio had drifted into semi-schmaltz music until, bam! Life intervened and I wondered: where’s there a dance floor when you need one? At once, I was charged up! Buddy Holly was singing one of his biggest hits, Peggy Sue, a happy, peppy song, backed up by a driving beat: the drummer was relentless. This variation of lightning in a bottle continues to welcome audiences into the Majestic Theater for its third selling-out engagement. Since its most recent opening night, September 8th, even though the extended run is almost over (October 30th), the demand for tickets continues.
Buddy Holly beamed through our consciousness like a comet. Unlike Halley’s comet that visits our atmosphere every 74-75 years, Buddy lived among us only 22 years (September 7, 1936 - February 3, 1959). Last month, on the 75th anniversary of his birth, he finally received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Attending the long overdue recognition of his electrifying talent were his widow, Maria Elena Santiago, Peter Asher, Phil Everly, Priscilla Presley and actor Gary Busey who was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Buddy (1978) The film contains some factual errors but not enough to damage the “gotta hurry” theme. I’ve watched the movie many times, each time wishing there’s not a fatal airplane crash. That traumatic event has the power to torpedo all the show's feel-good hooks, but as directed by Danny Eaton, no excessive maudlin mentality is introduced. An unsullied beat goes on.
And what a beat! Buddy’s influence on the music scene is astounding. Critic Bruce Eders said Buddy is "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." Bruce Springsteen is quoted in a 1978 Rolling Stone interview, “I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on; that keeps me honest.”
The excitement of being privy to the cutting edge of innovative sounds is woven into the script. And so are 28 songs, including these written by Buddy: Not Fade Away, Peggy Sue, That'll Be the Day, True Love Ways, Crying, Waiting, Hoping, Words of Love, Everyday. He was a romantic. Five hours after meeting Maria Elana, he proposed marriage. Less than two months later, they married in Lubbock, Texas, and honeymooned in Acapulco.The cast and crew warrant high fives. The crew provides a secure environment for the actors; if something is supposed to work, it does. The cast, especially in a true story brought to life under spotlights, adopt new personas.
As Maria Elana, Christina Rose Rahn beguiles. No wonder Buddy fell for her. She is innocense, swept off her feet by the charismatic Buddy, but soon she is his fighting partner, pitching in to protect him from a manager’s greed. The music business is tough and when needed, so is the girl bride. Rahn also plays one of the singing Snowbirds.
Roger Patnode (Radio KDAV Engineer and Surf MC) is a con artist: during his long career, regardless of the role, no one has ever caught him acting. He is that good. He is the engineer. In Act 2, at the Winter Dance Party, he is the all-seeing and all-knowing MC, glib, quick on his feet. Obviously (!), that’s the only job he’s ever held. Yeah, sure it is – Not! Somewhere there's a list of his impressive body of work. Even in Judgment at Nurenberg, as a silent prisoner, he injected his character with palpable resignation. Patnode demonstrates the truth in the cliche: "There are no small roles, only small actors."
The musicians are terrific. They play with joy and pride. Isn’t it against some Puritan law to have such a good time playing music you love? Ben Ashley’s Buddy Holly is a self-driven man. His enthusiasm is infectious. Backing up his dream are Frank Manzi (Ritchie Valens), Bill Morey (Joe B.Maudlin), Tim Reilly (Big Bopper), Dan Rovero (Bass), Cliff Schofer (Saxophone), Ray Zorin (Norman Petty, Musician).
Buddy Holly lives on through his music. That music is packing the theater and for about three hours, immersing the audience in its joyful spirit.
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MORE ABOUT BUDDY HOLLY
AS CULLED FROM THE INTERNET
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." His works and innovations inspired and influenced contemporary and later musicians, notably The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton, and exerted a profound influence on popular music. Holly was among the first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Holly #13 among "The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time".]
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7f0N1vc8Sc&feature=related“50 Winters Later - Interview w/Marie Elena Holly
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1876542,00.html
A Brief History
of
The Day the Music Died
By Claire SuddathTuesday, Feb. 03, 2009
When Elvis Presley died, 25,000 people gathered outside Graceland in the sweltering Memphis heat. John Lennon's murder drew millions of people to Central Park for a silent vigil. But when Buddy Holly's plane went down in an Iowa cornfield at a little past 1 a.m. on Feb. 3, 1959, there was nobody waiting for him among those swirling snowdrifts. The Lubbock, Texas singer never had a vigil. His home did not become a pilgrimage site and his family never held a memorial service for his fans. Yet with each passing decade, the myth of Buddy Holly has grown by substantial degrees. (See rare photos of Buddy Holly.)
If you go by the numbers, Buddy Holly's career — which lasted a year and a half with only one number one single — hardly seems the stuff of legend. He only accepted top billing on the 24-day, 24-town "Winter Dance Party" tour alongside the Big Bopper (of "Chantilly Lace" fame) and Richie Valens ("La Bamba") as a way to dig himself out of bankruptcy. And yet his influence on early rock 'n' roll is almost unmatched. Holly was barely out of high school when he opened for Elvis Presley in 1955. He popularized the two guitar, one bass, one drum lineup that so many acts (the Beatles, the Kinks, Talking Heads, Weezer) would later adopt. When a self-conscious Roy Orbison saw Holly's black rimmed glasses and slim jim ties, he decided not to let his homely, face-for-radio looks hinder his singing career. (For a while, John Lennon even adopted the style). Holly wrote his own material and used his signature pitch-changing hiccup to move seamlessly between country, R&B and rockabilly. When he died, he was only 22.
On February 2, 1959, Holly and his tourmates were on the eleventh night of their Winter Dance Party tour through the snow-covered Midwest. It was a Monday — a school night — but 1,100 teenagers crammed into Clear Lake, Iowa's Surf Ballroom for two sold out shows. They wore blue jeans and saddle shoes and screamed for 17-year-old Richie Valens, whose single "Donna" was about to go gold. Between sets, Holly solicited people to join him on the charter airplane he'd hired to fly to the next show in Moorhead, Minnesota. The musicians had been traveling by bus for over a week and it had already broken down once. They were tired, they hadn't been paid yet and all of their clothes were dirty. With the airplane, Holly could arrive early, do everyone's laundry and catch up on some rest.
A 21-year-old pilot named Roger Peterson had agreed to take the singer to Fargo, North Dakota — the closest airport to Moorehead. A snowstorm was on its way and the young pilot was fatigued from a 17-hour workday, but he agreed to fly the rock star to his next gig because, hey, he would be flying Buddy Holly. The second show ended at midnight. The musicians packed up their instruments and finalized the flight arrangements. Holly's bass player, Waylon Jennings, was scheduled to fly on the plane but gave his seat to the Big Bopper, who was suffering from a cold. Holly's guitarist Tommy Allsup agreed to flip a coin with Richie Valens for the remaining seat. Valens won. The three musicians boarded the red and white single-engine Beech Bonanza around 12:30 on Feb. 3. Fans flocked to the tarmac, waving and crying and asking for autographs. The musicians waved back and then climbed onto the plane. Snow blew across the runway but the sky was clear. Peterson received clearance from the control tower, taxied down the runway and took off. He was never told of two weather advisories that warned of an oncoming blizzard.
The plane stayed in the sky for only a few minutes; no one is quite sure what went wrong. The best guess is that Peterson flew directly into the blizzard, lost visual reference and accidentally flew down instead of up. The four-passenger plane plowed into a nearby cornfield at over 170 mph, flipping over on itself and tossing the passengers into the air. Their bodies landed yards away from the wreckage and stayed there for ten hours as snowdrifts formed around them. Because of the weather, nobody could reach the crash site until the morning.
In Texas, a neighbor told Holly's mother to turn on the radio. When the news report came out, she screamed and collapsed. In Greenwich Village, Buddy Holly's pregnant wife heard the news on television and suffered a miscarriage the following day, reportedly due to "psychological trauma." In the months following the crash, authorities would adopt a policy against releasing victims' names until after the families had been notified.
The Winter Dance Party tour continued, with Waylon Jennings singing Holly's songs and other teen sensations, including 18-year-old Frankie Avalon, flown out to finish the tour. Holly's body was shipped back home to Lubbock, Texas. His Baptist family never approved of his music and none of his songs were played at his funeral.
Then a strange thing happened. Holly's last single, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," had endured sluggish sales. The music industry had not yet discovered the commercial allure of untimely deaths, and record executives were shocked to see the song shoot up to number 13 on the charts.
Months went by, yet Holly's albums continued to sell. Decca rushed out a greatest hits album, which would float on and off the Billboard charts for another seven years. Britain devoured Holly records faster than the record company could produce them. Demo tapes, B-sides, previously unreleased recording sessions — they all shot up the British charts and turned Holly into one of the forefathers of the British Invasion that would strike America five years later. Both John Lennon and George Harrison learned to play guitar in part by listening to Buddy Holly records. The first Rolling Stones' single released in the U.S. was cover of Holly's "Not Fade Away." (See a video of Buddy Holly singing "Peggy Sue.")
The first song memorializing the musicians — Eddie Cochran's "Three Stars" — was recorded just one day after their deaths. But Don McLean's 1971 single "American Pie" turned the plane crash into a metaphor for the moment when the United States lost its last shred of innocence. McLean envisioned that last Buddy Holly concert in Clear Lakes, Iowa: teenagers in pink carnations and pick-up trucks, dancing and falling in love and dancing some more. The snow fell silently outside as the country teetered on the brink of the 1960s; no one in the ballroom had any idea what would happen next.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1876542,00.html#ixzz1aKvjFrxu
THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY
Reviewed by Debra Tinkham
If you have never been in the Majestic Theater, you don’t know what you’re missing. As you enter, there is a quaint and homey atmosphere with welcoming and varied seating arrangements, and a friendly and helpful concession and bar staff.
Act I, Scene 1 opens with station KDAV Engineer (Roger Patnode) in Lubbock, Texas, Buddy Holly’s home town, introducing us to The Hayriders. Now this group is an extremely southern instrumental and extremely southern singing group, opening with “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On.” The drawl was so thick, ”Send” was pronounced “Seeee-aaaaaaand.” Buddy Holly, impressively played by Ben Ashley, and the C-r-i-c-k-e-t-s (said in such a sarcastic way that he sounded like a cricket) were introduced for some good ole’ southern comfort music. Buddy ratches things up a notch and gives us some good ole’ rock-n-roll. The year is 1957 and Buddy Holly is an ambitious 20 year old with a vision and a dream. In the next 18 months, Buddy writes some sweet and memorable (obviously) music and makes too few recordings.
Next we are in Buddy’s bedroom with the Crickets: his drummer, guitar and bass player. Buddy has dreams – big dreams -- of writing songs that people have never expected.
Buddy and his band have an opportunity to record at Decca Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. After one record, Buddy is dismissed due to lack of interest for his type of talent, but he keeps writing music. This production included over 28 well-known and a couple not-so-well-known songs.
Buddy and the gang land a gig at The Apollo Theatre, in Harlem. Unbeknownst to them, this is an all-black cast, crew and audience. The Crickets are scared…witless! An Apollo performer (Moonlight Davis) sings “I Only Have Eyes For You,” which could melt the butter right off your toast. This vocalist is known for “the emotional impact, mature musicality and harmonic expertise which he brings to his music.” Lucky for this reviewer, I was privileged to sit next to Mrs. Moonlight – Morning Star. Yes, that’s her real name. Since 1992, Moonlight and Morning Star have been performing in the group called – yes, you guessed it - “Moonlight and Morning Star.”
Finally, it’s Buddy’s turn on stage and he and his band timidly take their places on stage and start with “Not Fade Away” followed by “Peggy Sue,” “Words of Love,” and “Oh Boy.” The boys are getting pretty cranked and letting loose is an understatement. The bass player was a sight to behold. He did more tricks with that bass than Carter’s got liver pills; from playing it upside down, sideways, crossways, you name it, he could do it. His character was Joe B. Maudlin, played by Bill Morey. His unique style was mesmerizing to watch while performing on - or with - the bass, as well as his gripping vocals and lastly, his riveting trombone ability.In Murray Deutch’s Record Publishing Office, in New York City, things are going well for Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Buddy meets receptionist, Maria Elena Santiago – pronounced by Buddy as “San Tiego”- but was quickly corrected, and moments later, tells the Crickets he’s going to marry her. Five hours later, Buddy takes Maria Elena to her Aunt’s (played by Lori Efford) house and convinces her that they are very much in love and want to get married. With Aunt’s blessing, Buddy and Maria are quietly married in Acapulco and begin their new life together. Six months later, Maria is unhappy that Buddy spends so much time in the recording studio, the Crickets are thinking of staying behind when Buddy moves on and Buddy is unhappy that things aren’t moving faster.
The cast was a multitude of multi-talented artists with an array of experience and education – too numerous to mention, but all intricately important to pulling off this musical marvel. Unfortunately, the program notes didn’t recognize the characters and their roles efficiently enough, so much credit was left unaccredited. For this, an apology because the entire cast was exemplary. The scene changes were scientifically orchestrated and as fascinating to watch as the musical.
Let’s not forget to mention Buddy’s fans – all young, perky, pretty, screaming high school girls who had their hearts hanging on their sleeves – were hanging over the stage and dancing in the aisles. Also, let’s not forget Buddy’s glasses. When asked if he could lose the glasses, Buddy’s comment was, “These make me different and I may get an even bigger pair.” Buddy was known for his BIG, black-rimmed glasses.
Buddy Holly died in an airplane crash on February 3, 1959, at the age of 22, along with his friend, Big Bopper, played by Tim Reilly, who is best known for “Chantilly Lace.” Also, on the plane was Ritchie Valens, played by Frank Manzi, who flipped a coin for the last seat on the plane, with Joe, the fancy bassist – and guess who won? Clever and poignant are words that come to mind in the production’s portrayal of the plane crash. But it ain’t over yet. As they say, life goes on and Buddy’s music went on and on and on.
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__________________________"So tell your friends to come on down 'cause Buddy Holly's back in town!" It's been ten years since we've seen Buddy on the Majestic stage and a week doesn't go by when we're not asked to bring it back. So, what better way to celebrate our 15th season than with the Buddy Holly Story. Join Ben Ashley, who reprises his tour de force performance as Buddy, along wth Richie Valens and the Big Bopper in a special extended run of the production you won't want to miss!
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