Review by Carol Montana
FORESTBURGH, NY (July 28, 2011) – Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy !!! Forestburgh Playhouse has another hit on its hands. And this one rocks the roof right off the playhouse.
It’s “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” and it’s dynamic and clever and inspiring and fun!
The show stars Todd Meredith as the quintessential Buddy Holly, and the very talented Bill Morey and Kyle Axman as Joe B Mauldin and Jerry Allison, a.k.a. The Crickets.
Written by Alan Jones, the play chronicles Buddy’s start in Lubbock, TX as a country & western singer who is really a rock & roller at heart.
A DJ friend, Hipockets Duncan, played by Dustin Smith with twang and sparkle, gets Buddy and the Crickets a contract with Decca Records, warning them that “Decca is a country label.” Inevitably perhaps, there is a parting of ways, as Buddy tells the Decca officials “My music, my way.”
Duncan comes to the rescue and introduces Buddy to record producer Norman Petty, played by the marvelous Kevin Confoy, who lets Buddy do it his way. Petty becomes the group’s recording engineer, manager and producer. In a series of short vignettes, assisted by his wife Vi on piano (portrayed by the gifted Meggan Herod), Petty helps the group turn out a string of hits including “That’ll Be the Day,” “Everyday,” “It’s So Easy,” and “Peggy Sue” (the naming of which is a funny and cute little scene).
Next stop is an exhilarating and hysterical scene at the Apollo Theatre where the Apollo Performers – the very talented Galyana Castillo and Ron King – are expecting a black group to arrive. Panicking, the Crickets are almost unable to perform until Buddy says “we sound black” and the first-ever white group to play the Apollo is a resounding success. The scene includes several clever uses of audience participation. (Really, the audience was just aching to help out anyway!)
The final number in Act I is an exhilarating performance of “Oh Boy” featuring Buddy Holly and the Crickets and all the Apollo Performers.
In New York City, Buddy meets record producer Murray Deutsch (the irrepressible Norman Duttweiler in a funny cameo) and Deutsch’s secretary, Maria Elena (played by the delightful Ariana Sepulveda). Buddy falls instantly in love with Maria Elena and marries her, serenading his new wife with the beautiful and tender “True Love Ways.”
Tempers run high at that point, leading to a break-up with the Crickets and Buddy going solo with a new manager.
On a tour during the 1959 “Winter Dance Party,” Buddy performs with the hot and steamy Richie Valens (the super-talented David Marmanillo), J.P. Richardson a.k.a. The Big Bopper, played by the very versatile 
Max Nussbaum, and a host of other musical groups.
As with every other scene in this show, the Dance Party is filled with skilled musicians and singers, and features exquisite harmonies, fine choreography and toe-tapping, hand-clapping music including: “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” “Chantilly Lace,” “Maybe Baby” and “La Bamba.”
The show winds down to a tear-inducing inevitable and tragic conclusion, but is topped off with several encores that revive the inspiration and the fun.
One of the best things about The Buddy Holly Story at Forestburgh is that everyone onstage is a musician. All the singers are first class, and all the musicians are really playing their instruments (and some play more than one). Mindy Cimini provides polished musical direction.
Todd Meredith, in his ninth production as Buddy Holly, was born to play this role. Genuinely accomplished as a singer and guitar player, he personifies the rock star, giving him a wonderful zest for life in a performance that is nothing short of brilliant.
With a very functional set by Darcy Engel, period-appropriate costumes by David Withrow and a versatile lighting design by Michael Bert, the show looks good, too.
Alternately funny, uplifting and poignant, “The Buddy Holly Story,” directed by Larry Smiglewski and choreographed by Stacy Alley, is invigorating excitement, filled with 25 songs performed by gifted singers and musicians. Definitely worthy of the standing ovation, which the grateful audience was happy to grant.
“The Buddy Holly Story” is playing now through August 7, with showtimes at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturdays, 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and 3:00 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $33-$40. Call the box office at 845-794-1194 or visit the Forestburgh Playhouse online at www.fbplayhouse.org.
Get your tickets now, this show is sure to be a sellout.
The Catskill Chronicle 
We saw the Buddy Holly Story at the Forestburgh Playhouse this past Tuesday. It was incredible, so entertaining. One of those special moments you wish would never end.