“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" at the Timber Lake Playhouse -- September 9 through 19.
Thursday, September 9, through Sunday, September 19
Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL
Described by the New York Times as a musical that delivers “an affirming blast” and “the high that only live theatre can induce when everything clicks,” the jukebox sensation Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story enjoys a September 9 through 19 run at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, a show that inspired Broadway World to state, “Whether you grew up bopping along to his music or this is your first Buddy experience, there's something to enjoy for everyone.”
A beloved bio-musical about the legendary rock 'n' roll star of the 1950s, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story covers Holly's start in the music business as the lead singer for a country & Western band, his marriage to Puerto Rican receptionist Maria Elena after a courtship of five hours, his trials and tribulations as a solo artist, and, finally, his tragic death – along with those of fellow passengers and musical icons Richie Valens and The Big Bopper – in an airplane accident. Telling the true story of Buddy’s meteoric rise to fame, from the moment in 1957 when “that’ll be the day” hit the airwaves until his passing less than two years later on “the day the music died," Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story boasts nearly two dozen of its title character's greatest hits, among them "That’ll Be the Day," "Peggy Sue," "Everyday," "Oh Boy," "Not Fade Away," "Rave On," and "Raining In My Heart."
Helming Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story for Timber Lake is the theatre company's longtime executive director Dan Danielowski, who also directed last month's The Robber Bridegroom and last winter's Christmas Kaleidoscope, and who played the leading role of Tevye in Timber Lake's 2018 presentation of Fiddler on the Roof. The show's title character will be portrayed by Matt McClure (who also designed the production's set), with Richie Valens played by Luis Garcia-Godoy and The Big Bopper by Darren Mangler. Chris Wren serves as Buddy's music director, Felicia Finley as choreographer, and Aaron Kubacak as costume designer, and Timber Lake's production features local DJs Brian Reusch (of WCCI radio) and the Mysterious Blind Hugo (of Vintage Radio WQUD) in cameo roles.
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story will be staged September 9 through 19, with scheduled performances at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is $20-30, and more information is available by calling (815)244-2035 and visiting TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
