The omens weren't promising when Buddy opened last night with more teething problems than Bugs Bunny and Esther Rantzen put together.

Just ten minutes into the rock n' roll nostalgia show charting the life of Charles 'Buddy" Holly everything seemed to go wrong. The sound seemed weak, the curtain came down and a voice informed us that the production was experiencing technical difficulties - leaving a lot of nervous-looking punters furtively glancing at their watches in the stalls.

A man came on stage to explain that a chain on a winch, or something similar, had snapped and if we didn't mind waiting five minutes the show would soon be back on the road.

Luckily the full Alhambra house decided the promise of Buddy's rich legacy of pioneering tunes was worth the wait and hung around.

Once the show restarted it was clear to see why it's been a hit all around the world. It may take a while to get going but once it's up and running there's no stopping it.

Buddy charts the life of Holly from his early days scratching a living at home in Lubbock, Texas, through to his meteoric charts success, his whirlwind romance and marriage to Maria Elena Santiago, and his final concert at the Winter Dance Party in Clear Lake, Iowa, before he hopped aboard the ill-fated plane trip in 1959.

Sprinkled along the way is a great selection of Buddy's enduring songs including Peggy Sue, Heartbeat, True Love Ways, Maybe Baby and many more which had the packed audience around me toe-tapping and singing along.

Gus MacGregor, pictured, is excellent, if a little too hunky, as Buddy as he sings and jokes his way through the major events in the singer's life. MacGregor puts his all into the show and has some great moments of comic interplay with the Crickets. Also worth a mention in a talented cast is Jaymz Denning as a larger than life Big Bopper and Ricky Rojas as swivel-hipped Ritchie Valens.

The show really comes alive when it cleverly uses the theatre to recreate some of Buddy's most memorable live performances.

At one point you're transported to the heart of Harlem while for the finale the audience is taken to Iowa to witness Buddy's finale performance on the day the music died.

Surging with energy, uplifting tunes and tightly crafted musicianship you can't beat Buddy for an enjoyable night out. Runs until Saturday.

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