WESTON, Vt. – The Weston Playhouse was rocking on Friday, June 30, when the multi-talented cast of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” took over the stage for more than two hours, and brought the audience to its feet. It was opening night of the toe-tapping, smile-inducing, 1989 musical production, and the crowd was ready to have a good time.
Directed by Meredith McDonough, choreographed by New York City-based Felicity Stiverson, and with musical direction by Matt Cusack, the inaugural performance didn’t appear to have a hiccup.
The show is one of the early jukebox musicals, where most songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than an original score.
Cusack, who made his Broadway debut in “One Man Two Guvnors,” and has worked consistently as a regional and national touring actor and musician, showcased his many talents on the stage, playing bassist Joe B. Mauldin, an original member of Holly’s band The Crickets. Cusack also presented a playful turn as J.P. Richardson, also known as “The Big Bopper,” encouraging the enthusiastic crowd to sing along with the 1958 hit “Chantilly Lace.”
Each player on stage excelled as an actor, dancer, and musician, some portraying multiple roles, and switching between musical instruments while never missing a beat. The collaborative, joyful, and nuanced performances from every cast member were not lost on the nearly full house, who responded to musical numbers with cheers and applause, and gave the cast a standing ovation at curtain call.
In the lead role of Buddy Holly, actor Billy Finn portrayed the 22-year-old prodigy as a passionate, strong-willed, prolific talent, who, in his short-lived period of stardom produced an unprecedented amount of chart toppers. “Peggy Sue,” “Maybe Baby,” “Not Fade Away,” and “Rave On,” are just a few of his hits.
“It’s always incredible to remember that Buddy’s career was only 18 months long, and yet he accomplished so much and wrote so many iconic songs during that period,” Finn commented. “The gift of this show is that we get to imagine together everything he went through during that short burst of art and music and expression. It’s a privilege to get to inhabit this man and try to unearth some new things about him for an audience.”
“This cast is insanely talented,” Finn raved. “Brilliant actors, singers, and musicians. Getting to play the music ourselves brings us just a little bit closer to the man and his music. It creates an urgency and a dynamism that just wouldn’t be there if we weren’t playing the music ourselves. It’s also turned us into a real band, and we get to go out every night and put on a rock show. It doesn’t get more fun than that.”
Most of the actors were making their debut with the Weston Playhouse, including Finn, Isaiah Reynolds as Tyrone Jones, Ariana Papaleo as Holly’s wife Maria Elena Santiago, Adrian Lopez playing Richie Valens, and Maggie Hollenbeck as Vi Petty, who astonished the audience with a Jerry Lee Lewis-esque piano performance.
In the role of disc jockey Hipockets Duncan, David Bonnano marked his 50th performance at the Weston Playhouse over 36 years. “I was an infant when I started,” Bonnano joked while acknowledging the milestone.
“Buddy” will run through July 16. “What the Constitution Means to Me,” a show described as “a love letter to our Constitution,” will take the stage July 12-30,
Performances for the classic musical “Singin’ in the Rain” are scheduled from Aug. 16 – Sept. 3. Stiverson will bring her inspired choreography to the production. Last season, Stiverson was the choreographer on the Playhouse productions of “Hair” and “Shrek.”
The final two shows of the 2023 season will be “The Porch on Windy Hill,” Aug. 16 – Sept. 3, and “Let There Be Love,” which will open Oct. 4, and close out the season on Oct. 22. Tickets are available at www.westontheater.org.