Steadstyle Chicago
	May 2008 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Looking for a Ticket Broker? Check out the hottest broadway tickets from Gotickets.com Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story Critical Evaluation: **** out of **** (Left) Justin Berkobien and Tempe Thomas; (Right) Justin Berkobien, Cody Siragusa, Jim Barclay and Michael Mahler in "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" at Drury Lane Oakbrook.  Photos by Johnny Knight. Grandpa DeSantis has got to be looking down at his Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook and feeling great about what his grandson Kyle is doing.  The shows keep getting better and stronger, the sound system is much better and the young talent they are finding is nothing short of "Loop" quality.  The current production of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story", under the direction of Tammy Mader, is a slick telling of the short story of this Rock and Roll legend.  The music of course is memorable for those who lived through the 50's, as we watch the history of this legend unfold and see his shot to stardom in 1957 only to have it all come to an end in 1959 (The Day The Music Died) in a plane crash while on tour. The final concert featured Buddy and The Big Bopper and young sensation Ritchie Valens (who also died in the crash).  It's a sad ending for a toe-tapping story featuring some twenty songs, including "That'll Be The Day," "Everyday," "Peggy Sue," "Words of Love" and a host of others.  The Big Bopper's (Casey Campbell) "Chantilly Lace" and a spectacular rendition of Valens "La Bamba" by Tony Sancho, a member of Teatro Vista, move to the musical stage with style and grace.  This is a solid cast with every performer playing musical instruments as well as singing and dancing and each member of the ensemble makes this show as slick as it is.  Justin Berkobien is a knockout as Buddy, with a great voice and solid acting.  He may be just a little too good looking for this role, but once he starts singing you forget that Buddy Holly was indeed not a typical idol.  His Crickets were masterfully handled by Cody Siragusa and Jim Barclay, and Tommy/the back-up man by Michael Mahler, a talent who always seems to have a great time on stage.  Tempe Thomas (Maria), Derek Hasenstab (Hipockets Duncan), Michael Gerhart (Norman Petty), Jennifer Loftus (Vi Petty) are all solid.  And Byron Glenn Willis, Karen Marie Richardson, Neda Sparks and Lili-Anne Brown will knock your socks off in their scene from the Apollo, which is worth the ticket price on its own.  The rest of the ensemble (Dieterich, Dara Cameron, Dina DiCostanzo, David Morrison and the wild and crazy Bernie Yvon) fill in all the gaps in a number of roles.  I won't forget the Drury Lane orchestra members under the direction of Alan Bukowiecki: Ron Hayes (Trumpet), James Perkins (Tenor sax), Kendall Moore (Trombone) and Dan Leali (Drums).  The cast members handled the rest and did so beautifully. "Buddy" will run at the Drury Lane Oakbrook through July 27, 2008.  Performances are Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., Thursday at 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Fridays at 8:30 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.  Tickets range in price from $28-$33 and there are dinner packages available from $42.75-$54. For reservations call 630-530-0111, Ticketmaster at 312-599-1212 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.  Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook is located at 100 Drury Lane ( just North of Oakbrook Center) and there is plenty of free parking.  Enjoy!  I plan on going back with some of my out of town friends visiting Chicago this summer.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The EpochTimes.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.