MANCHESTER, NH – You don’t have to remember listening to “Peggy Sue” on your transistor radio to appreciate the contribution made to rock music by Buddy Holly. In fact, even if you only know the name because it’s a popular lyric in that Weezer song (ooo-wee-ooo, I look just like Buddy Holly, oh-oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore…), you will absolutely appreciate the The Palace Theatre’s musical tribute to the bespectacled crooner, who left an indelible mark on popular music.
Jared Mancuso takes the stage as the lead in “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” now showing through Oct. 11, and Mancuso says he’s learned a thing – or three – about being Buddy Holly.
“It’s my eighth time being Buddy in some form or another,” says Mancuso, 29, a native of New Hope, PA, who has been performing as Buddy Holly all over the country. He says although it can be an occupational hazard for some actors who reprise a popular role to go through the motions, he’s been able to keep his performance fresh, thanks in large part to the Palace’s dynamic musical directing duo of Carl Rajotte and Zach Sicherman.
“Carl and Zach bring me right back to the roots, to a place where I almost feel like I’m being Buddy. This is more than a tribute – as an actor and a musician, it’s a challenge for me to dig in and recreate the feeling of Buddy Holly through this production,” Mancuso said.
Holly died in 1959 at the age of 22 in a plane crash while on tour just as his career was taking off. As sad as his short life story is, Mancuso says this show is a pure celebration of Holly’s brief but important contribution to the music we still love.
“The purpose of this show is to bring people back to a place of really great memories. It’s not a cautionary tale, there’s no message behind it, like ‘don’t fly in a plane’ or ‘don’t live the rock’n’roll life.’ This show is all about the music,” Mancuso said.
“I’ve actually had people come up to me and thank me for it, like this one woman who came up to me to tell me about her husband, who’d passed away. She said when they were first married they used to dance to Buddy Holly in their kitchen, and that the show brought back some really great memories for her,” Mancuso said. “That rings true for a lot of people. The music brings them back, like a certain fragrance, or sensory overload, it’s the emotional connections to music that we have, and ‘The Buddy Holly Story’ nails it right on the head, with all these great hit songs.”
Guitarist Nick Moulton, 23, a UNH graduate, portrays Holly’s high school friend and band mate Jerry Allison.
“The challenge for me is that most everyone involved has done the show before, so it’s a challenge and a blessing for me to be part of such a seasoned group of accomplished musicians,” says Moulton. “The first day was a bit intimidating, but I am loving every minute of it.”
Mancuso, when not performing as Buddy Holly, makes his own music with his co-hort, Jared Bardugone, in The Jared Project. He is also the creator of several smartphone apps, including one featuring independent musicians called Emerging Radio.
Tickets are still available. Click here to find the best available seat in the house at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover Street, Manchester. (603) 668-5588
Remaining shows:
Friday September 18, 2015 7:30 PM
Saturday September 19, 2015 2:00 PM
Saturday September 19, 2015 7:30 PM
Sunday September 20, 2015 2:00 PM
Friday September 25, 2015 7:30 PM
Saturday September 26, 2015 2:00 PM
Saturday September 26, 2015 7:30 PM
Sunday September 27, 2015 2:00 PM
Thursday October 1, 2015 7:30 PM
Friday October 2, 2015 7:30 PM
Saturday October 3, 2015 2:00 PM
Saturday October 3, 2015 7:30 PM
Tickets range from $25.00 to $45.00. No refunds or exchanges are allowed. Flex Subscriptions and Group Rates are available. For Group rates contact the group Sales office at 603-668-5588 x110 or email David Rousseau at davidrousseau@palacetheatre.org
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