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Buncrana man to star as Buddy
Holly
05.12.07
by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent
A BUNCRANA actor is set to get theatre audiences
rocking this week when he plays the lead role in the
Letterkenny Music and Drama Group’s production of
Buddy - the Buddy Holly story - which starts a five
night run in An Grianan tonight.
Talented 27 year-old James Coyle who has been
playing music for years will join a top class cast
for a musical, which has been dubbed the most
successful Rock ‘n’ Roll show in the world.
Initially James was cast as the fourth member of
Buddy Holly’s band ‘The Crickets’ but when the actor
cast to play Buddy was forced to pull out of the
show over a month ago, he was asked to step up to
the lead role.
“I was happy enough to be the guitar player, I only
had three or four lines, but when I was asked if I’d
do this I thought I’d give it a go.”
Show Director Pluincéad Ó Fearraigh is full of
praise for the Buncrana man’s performance in the
lead role, made all the more remarkable by the fact
that this is his first time in a stage show. |
“I had never been in a
stage show before but my wife heard about this and I
thought I’d give it a go. I knew they were looking
for a guitar player and I’ve been playing music and
have been in bands since I was young.”
James who is a design student at Magee University in
Derry, said he had never seen the show before
either, but added that he and his wife Audrey did go
to see it in |
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London during a recent
trip there.
“It’s a great show and hopefully everyone will enjoy
it. The cast has really put in a huge amount of time
and effort and we’re all looking forward to the show
now,” he said.
The show which kicks off tonight in An Grianan will
see audiences transported back to 1950s America as
the new sound of rockabilly beats came buzzing
through the airwaves and gave young people a voice
that has not been silenced since.
“Buddy Holly along with others like Presley,
Cochran, Berry and Bill Haley & the Comets, would
change the face of music forever by fusing a blues
rhythm with a backbeat and creating a new ‘devil’
music called Rock & Roll. This new sound would
evolve and influence everyone from The Beatles to
the Rolling Stones and has cast an indelible mark on
generations of music lovers since,” said Pluincéad Ó
Fearraigh who directs the show.
The musical takes audiences from the start of
Buddy’s musical career where, with the support of a
local radio DJ, Hipockets Duncan, Buddy and his two
friends form a Country & Western band - Buddy Holly
& the Crickets - and begin to carve out a career in
music. After a difficult start at Decca in
Nashville, they sign a contract with up and coming,
innovative record producer Norman Petty. Within
hours, Buddy Holly & the Crickets start to churn out
hits from the recording studio built in Norman's
backyard, among them "That'll Be The Day", which
soon rockets up the charts and reaches number one
within two weeks. Buddy Holly & the Crickets are
suddenly the hottest act in the country and out on
national tour.
Holly's brief life is immortalised in this dynamic
and heart-rending stage show brought vividly to life
by the Letterkenny Music & Drama Group.
Formed in 1991, the Letterkenny Music and Drama
Group has staged many memorable musicals, most
recently the critically acclaimed Children of the
Dead End. Director Pluincéad Ó Fearraigh is very
proud to bring such a well loved and timeless
musical to An Grianán Theatre stating: “It's a
celebration of the man, his music and life that
catches that unique mixture of innocence,
determination, humour and charms that was Buddy
Holly.”
This production stars regular members of the group
including Antony Delap, Aoife Boyce, Kieran Kelly,
Deirdre Daly, Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhrighde but the
star of the show will be Buddy played fabulously by
James Coyle.
“Buddy - the Buddy Holly Story” runs from 4th – 8th
December 2007 and tickets are available by calling
to from An Grianán Theatre Box office or ringing
0749120777. Tickets will sell fast so book early to
avoid disappointment! The first night’s performance
is in aid of the Donegal Hospice. |
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