The fabulous and tragic life of Buddy Holly at Van Wezel
The cast of “Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story” has an especially hectic travel schedule ahead, thanks to fans in Sarasota.
The non-Equity tour had been scheduled to stop Friday at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. It was supposed to be just that one performance. Ticket demand was so strong that the Van Wezel people wanted to add a second show. But “Buddy” had other places to be, Van Wezel was booked for Saturday (“An Irish Tenors Christmas”) and Sunday (LeAnn Rimes). So a second performance of “Buddy” was added on Tuesday.
That means “Buddy” will be in Sarasota Friday, Palm Coast (in Flagler County) Saturday, Jacksonville on Sunday and back to Sarasota on Tuesday. Then it has to be in Baton Rouge on Thursday.
That’s an extra 500 miles of bus travel for the cast, but for you and me it’s an extra chance to see the jukebox musical that uses Buddy Holly’s music (and that of several of his rock ’n’ roll contemporaries) in the story of the fabulous and tragic life of the early rock legend.
The show played on Broadway for only about six months, but it was a monster hit on London’s West End, running for 14 years.
Details: 8 p.m. Dec 1 and 5, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $36-$76. 941-953-3368, vanwezel.org.
Marty Clear: 941-708-7919, @martinclear
This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 3:06 PM with the headline "The fabulous and tragic life of Buddy Holly at Van Wezel."