Hannah Price Archives - thespyinthestalls.com

★★★★

“Memorable tunes and a happy vibe make this a highly recommended show”

There’s a place forever in the rock and roll hall of fame for Buddy Holly, the legend that sprang from Lubbock, Texas and bloomed all too briefly before his tragic death in an aeroplane crash at the age of 22.

After just two years of huge success, Holly got fed up of freezing tour buses that were always breaking down and chose to take a four-seater plane from Clear Lake, Iowa to his next big tour date. He perished in a frozen corn field with fellow singers Ricky Valens and J. P. Richardson (‘the Big Bopper’) after an inexperienced and unqualified pilot turned their plane into the ground.

But misery is the last thing you’ll feel at the Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. This is a toe-tapping, gloriously catchy and splendidly feel-good show that tells the story of how the 20-year old Holly broke out of country and western music to become a chart-topping sensation. It has been rocking audiences worldwide for over 30 years, and now has a five-day residency at the Theatre Royal Windsor. This chilly Monday night, I can report that many in Windsor’s normally somewhat reserved audience were on their feet in delight by the end of this sparkling show.

This justifiably popular ‘juke box’ musical features influential Holly hits like ‘That’ll Be The Day’, ‘Not Fade Away’ and ‘Peggy Sue’ together with unforgettable tunes like ‘Why Do Fools Fall In Love’, ‘La Bamba’ and ‘Raining In My Heart’. A dedicated and mainly British cast led by A J Jenks (or Christopher Weeks) give energetic and committed performances. Choreographer Miguel Angel appears as Tyrone Jones and has a glorious voice that deserves a special mention after over 1,500 performances in the show. Fifties sound design (Pete Cox), a memorable set and lighting (Adrian Rees and Darren Coopland) all create an authentic period feel.

The first half tells the story of Holly and his band the Crickets’ big break, thanks to innovative producer Norman Petty, and leads on to their being the first ever white performers to appear at the famously hard to please Harlem Apollo. The second half is dominated by a 20-minute sequence of massive rock and roll hits that re-create the excitement of a big tour in the winter of 1959.

The 22 million people worldwide who have seen Buddy can’t be wrong. Memorable tunes and a happy vibe make this a highly recommended show.

Reviewed by David Woodward

Photography by Rebecca Need-Menear

The Girl Who Fell

Trafalgar Studios

Reviewed – 17th October 2019

★★★★

“a warm piece of theatre brimming over with emotional honesty”

Set in the aftermath of a tragic suicide, The Girl Who Fell is play about those left behind. Sam – a never-to-be sixteen year old – is the missing piece the story revolves around as it follows her family and friends grappling with loss and their own burden of guilt. This is a production where the walls come down – both literally and metaphorically. As the rustic, stripped-down set (Georgia de Grey) peels away block by block, so do the barriers the characters have put up to defend themselves, making for a warm piece of theatre brimming over with emotional honesty.

Each character has their own cross to bear with respect to Sam’s death. Claire Goose plays an instantly recognisable fraught mother battling for control, who is blamed by others for the suicide due to her harsh punishment becoming broadcast on the internet. Her superb performance is complimented by those of Rosie Day and Will Fletcher, who fill the roles of Sam’s best friend Billie and boyfriend Lenny so well that by the end of the play you have forgotten that the actors are not really teenagers. From the outset it is clear that these three have relationships with complex undercurrents, and throughout their stories they walk a messy, angry line between looking after each other and tearing each other down.

Introduced initially as a romantic interest for mum Thea, Gil (Navin Chowdhry) is the character last to the stage, and the slowest to unravel, but it is satisfying to see that he too is connected to the death in more ways than one. The script (Sarah Rutherford) times its key reveals and hooks well but is also full of refreshing doses of humour. Paired with Hannah Price’s direction, which brings a wonderful amount of movement and energy to a play about death, and the lighting (Robbie Butler) and sound (Adrienne Quartly), it delivers a tender and touching exploration of grief, blame, and the worst impulses in human nature.

Addressing such broad themes, the play almost seems timeless and that is perhaps its only failure. For all that Sam’s death can be seen as intrinsically linked to her life as part of the social media generation, the unique ways modern life can impact on being a teenager – and being a parent – seem to be largely glossed over in favour of an appeal to universalism. But, nevertheless, there is certainly lots of substance for viewers to contemplate. With its well-woven character backstories and sincere musings on faith, family, and forgiveness, The Girl Who is Fell is a rich treat of a story with wide-ranging appeal.

Theatre Royal Windsor

Reviewed – 24th February 2020

★★★★

“Memorable tunes and a happy vibe make this a highly recommended show”

There’s a place forever in the rock and roll hall of fame for Buddy Holly, the legend that sprang from Lubbock, Texas and bloomed all too briefly before his tragic death in an aeroplane crash at the age of 22.

The 22 million people worldwide who have seen Buddy can’t be wrong. Memorable tunes and a happy vibe make this a highly recommended show.

Reviewed by David Woodward

Photography by Rebecca Need-Menear

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

Theatre Royal Windsor until 29th February then UK tour continues

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Trafalgar Studios

Reviewed – 17th October 2019

★★★★

“a warm piece of theatre brimming over with emotional honesty”

Reviewed by Vicky Richards

Photography by Helen Maybanks

The Girl Who Fell

Trafalgar Studios until 23rd November

Previously reviewed at this venue: