Theater Review: Good Company Players’ ‘Buddy’ Is long on songs, short on story
By Heather Parish
(Please note: this review contains spoilers for “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.” But I contend that there are no spoilers in history. — HP)
‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” now onstage at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater, arrives with built-in goodwill and a catalog of toe-tapping hits. But while the production delivers an undeniably lively tribute to one of rock ‘n’ roll’s foundational figures, it also shows the limitations of a musical that predates the modern jukebox formula — long on nostalgia, short on narrative.
The show traces the whirlwind 18-month rise of Buddy Holly and The Crickets, from their beginnings in Lubbock, Texas, to Holly’s sudden death in a 1959 plane crash alongside fellow musicians Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. Originally debuting in 1988-89, “Buddy” emerged before jukebox musicals fully figured out how to balance storytelling with song catalogs. What remains is a show that feels both earnest and oddly undercooked, a musical tribute concert that gestures toward drama without ever fully committing to it.
Three generations removed.
Directed by Mark Standriff with as much verve as the material allows, this production leans heavily into its strengths: youthful energy, musical enthusiasm and an affection for Holly’s legacy. The generally inexperienced cast does their best to keep the engine running even when the script gives them little fuel. There’s a scrappy charm to their effort, though it doesn’t always translate into sustained momentum.
The generational gap here is impossible to ignore. When “Buddy” premiered its core audience had lived through Holly’s meteoric rise just three decades earlier. Today, the show plays to audiences roughly three generations removed from the source material. For perspective, “The Buddy Holly Story” opened the same year Nirvana released its debut album, “Bleach.” One can’t help but wonder what a future grunge-era jukebox musical at Roger Rocka’s might look like (but I digress!)
All hits, not much plot.
Structurally, “Buddy” is less a conventional musical than a loosely stitched sequence of over 30 songs and medleys, punctuated by only a handful of dialogue scenes. Conflict is minimal, character development is fleeting, and the stakes remain frustratingly low. At two and a half hours, the show demands more narrative substance than it provides.
The first act charts The Crickets’ transition from family-friendly country performers to rock ‘n’ roll pioneers, culminating in their groundbreaking appearance at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. It’s here that the production finds some of its most compelling moments, hinting at the racial tensions, cultural differences and social breakthroughs that defined early rock history. Unfortunately, these moments pass quickly, more implied than explored. Connecting Holly’s sound to the Black artists and blues radio he listened to at night (the only times most Black music was programmed on radio stations in Texas) is an opportunity lost.
The second act moves briskly through key events in Holly’s personal life, including his whirlwind marriage and his split from The Crickets. Much of the act is devoted to Holly’s final concert in Clear Lake, Iowa, which plays out as an extended concert sequence rather than a dramatic culmination. Given that the audience already knows the tragic ending, the lack of deeper emotional groundwork makes the finale feel more perfunctory than poignant.
Standout performances carry the load.
Musically, however, the production holds its own, and the cast is filled with capable singers. As Buddy Holly, newcomer Daniel Montgomery fully commits to the role’s demands, capturing Holly’s distinctive vocal style and physical mannerisms. He also plays guitar in several numbers, lending authenticity to a rockabilly-tinged sound. Where Montgomery can grow with experience and training is in varying his performance; his gestures and reactions tend to settle into a single mode, limiting the range of his portrayal.
As The Crickets, Rex McTeer (bassist Joe Mauldin) and Stephen Michael Niewind (drummer Jerry Allison) provide a steady, appealing counterbalance to Montgomery’s intensity. Their performances hint at the collaborative nature of Holly’s success, subtly acknowledging how their musicianship helped shape a sound that would influence bands like The Beatles.
The supporting cast brings needed weight to the sparse dialogue scenes. Ken Stocks offers a grounded, plain-spoken performance as West Texas radio host Hipockets Duncan, while Erik Bako and Aurora Nibley, as music producers/managers Norman and Vi Petty, display a chemistry that suggests a richer, more mature story lurking beneath the surface.
When the music hits, it hits.
From the Hayriders’ opening “Rose of Texas” to the full-company finale of “Johnny B. Goode,” the show delivers some crowd-pleasing numbers. Backed by Richard Mynderup’s orchestrations, the performances hint at the buoyant spirit of early rock ‘n’ roll.
Still, the production isn’t without its rough edges. Transitions between songs can feel haphazard, period-appropriate choreography (by Melinda Asbury) sometimes lacks confidence in the performance, and the ensemble doesn’t always convey the sense of excitement and innovation that defined Holly’s era. If the electrifying energy of the full company finale could be shown throughout, the show might feel less like a marathon.
A promised story that never arrives.
Ultimately, the biggest issue is baked into the material itself. Despite its title, “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” offers surprisingly little story. The show skims over potentially rich conflicts — Holly’s strained relationship with his hometown, the tensions within The Crickets, the risks of pioneering a new musical genre — in favor of surface-level anecdotes. We learn that Holly proposed to his wife after five hours, had strong opinions about wearing his glasses onstage and died tragically young. Beyond that, the portrait remains frustratingly thin.
Those expecting the emotional depth of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” or the narrative inventiveness of “All Shook Up” may find “Buddy” wanting. But for audiences who come primarily for the music, and for fans of Buddy Holly in particular, this production offers a youthful, if uneven, celebration of a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer.
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