Lisa Condit spoke with Michael Perrie, Jr. who plays Buddy in “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.” The jukebox musical comes to The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 23. Read on for highlights from the interview, or listen to the full interview below.
THE ACTOR’S JOURNEY
Lisa: This one of those high energy shows. The reviews have been really positive, and the show is now in its 27th amazing year. Tell me about your journey as Buddy Holly.
Michael: I’ve been alive as long as the show has been around, which is crazy! The first show I ever saw was this show. My cousin and my uncle were in a production of it in Pennsylvania. I was eight years old and and it really sort of launched me and my career into the theater arts.
Lisa: How did you start out developing your skills?
Michael: You have to want to do it. Nothing is going to make you want to do it. When I was teaching music, parents would say, “Dan you teach my kid to play guitar?” And I would say, “Do they want to learn how to play?” You’ve got to want to do the thing to be good at it, otherwise you’ll just be unhappy. You’ve got to feel like there’s nothing else you could do. It takes a lot of work and a lot of focus. You’ve got to love it, but you’ve got to know that it just doesn’t happen because you love it. It has to become a part of your life.
PLAYING THE CLASSICS
Lisa: Some of these songs are so iconic. What’s your favorite song?
Michael: Which song do I love to play and which song do I just love? It’s a hard question to answer. “That’ll Be The Day” was one of those songs that I just thought was so cool growing up. I loved it. I had never really heard some of Buddy Holly’s later, more orchestral stuff. Growing up, it was just more of the straight-up rock and roll. “Raining In My Heart” is one of my favorite songs to play and one of the songs that I discovered from the show that I hadn’t known or heard before.
Lisa: What should our audience look for?
Michael: If you want to meet me, just stay around in the lobby. I will come out and talk to people and take pictures! Also, look out for the fact that everybody is playing everything live. All the music that you see on stage is happening on stage live. There are so many talented musicians in the cast. It’s not always perfect, but it’s live! My first true love is the theater because it’s so alive. You never know what’s going to happen. The audience and the cast really fuel each other.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CLASSIC OLDIES SONG?
