Weekend picks: ‘Buddy Holly’ opens at Roger Rocka’s, while ‘The One Act Play that Goes Wrong’ continues at Selma Arts Center

By Manjot Dhanda

If you’re looking for recently opened theater, there are two very different shows this weekend in the greater Fresno area: one is a rock ‘n’ roll tribute that includes live music; and the other is a comedy where everything goes wrong from the start.

At Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater, “The Buddy Holly Story” opened Friday, March 27, and continues through May 24. The Good Company Players production features over 20 of Buddy Holly’s greatest hits including “That’ll Be The Day,” “Peggy Sue,” ‘”Everyday”’ ‘and “Raining In My Heart’, plus Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” and The Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace.” The production includes live musicians, which is a special treat for regulars at Roger Rocka’s.

Says director Mark Standriff: “The incredible legacy of the young man with glasses, whose musical career spanned an all-too-brief period during the golden days of Rock & Roll, continues to live on in ‘Buddy.’ With a multi-talented cast of actor/musicians, Buddy is a not-to-be-missed show for all ages.”

At Selma Arts Center, “The One Act Play That Goes Wrong” opened March 20 and runs through April 4. The storyline follows a group of actors trying to put on a murder mystery, but nothing goes as planned. Lines are missed, the set falls apart and everything spirals into chaos, which is exactly where the comedy comes from. This is the original one-act play that inspired a longer version on Broadway. Do you ever find out who murdered Charles Haversham? You’ll have to see.

The production is directed by Levi Hill.