Smash hit rock & roll musical Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is back in the UK for 2023, hitting the road off the back of its 30th year anniversary run.
Opening at Towngate Theatre in Basildon on 22nd February 2023, the tour will then travel to the likes of York (21st - 25th March), Manchester (20th - 22nd April), Aylesbury (9th - 13th May), Bath (4th - 8th April), Shrewsbury (23rd - 27th May) and Southampton (20th - 24th June), with more dates and venues to be announced across a 40-week period next year.
Buddy tells the story of the star’s rise from his southern beginnings to international fame, and his final performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, before his tragic death at the age of 22.
In 18 months the boy from Lubbock, Texas, is widely accepted to have revolutionised the face of contemporary music, and would influence the likes of The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones.
Writer and producer Alan Janes said: “We are so excited to be back on tour and to see our audiences, aged eight to 80, dance in the aisles every night to our story of a young man whose musical career spanned an all-too-brief period, but whose music will be remembered forever.”
The show features a cast of actor-musicians performing with more than 20 of his greatest hits, including That’ll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Oh Boy, Everyday and Rave On.
Seen by more than 22 million theatregoers since it opened in the West End in 1989, the show most recently enjoyed its 30th anniversary on tour, which also included performances in both America and Canada.
Buddy ran in the West End for more than 14 years – playing the Victoria Palace, Novello, and Duchess Theatres – making it one of the longest-running shows in London theatre history.
In total, each actor tasked with the role of Buddy Holly (27 of them!) has sung 17 songs 266,794 times.
Nearly 3,500 pairs of trousers have had to be replaced, due to Buddy knee-sliding across stages, and there have been 414 pairs of the iconic glasses.
Throughout the world, 13 couples have met and married while working in the company - and there have been 26 Buddy babies!
For tickets, full dates and more information, go to www.buddythemusical.com
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