Rock'n'Roll Meets Comedy
Buddy Holly reloaded
Former performers of the successful Hamburg production BUDDY (1994-2001) revived Buddy Holly's hits in a first-class concert with lots of humour.
In 2007, five former performers of the Hamburg musical production "BUDDY - the Buddy Holly Story" or later "BUDDY - the Musical" met again. Almost six years after the show had to make way for Disney's KÖNIG DER LÖWEN, they wanted to celebrate the old times in the "yellow sack" - as they still affectionately call the Hafentheater - for three evenings at Easter in the Royal Theatre on Holstenwall.
Singer Marko Formanek, guitarist Torben Widdermann, bassist Falko Burkert, pianist Stephan Sieveking and drummer Hauke Wendt had set themselves only two rules: one was that they would not play all Buddy Holly's songs as they had done in the musical - some should be closer to the original version, others in the style of other musicians, they would play other musicians' songs in Buddy Holly's style or ones that Buddy could have written; even if he actually did not. The other rule was that all the microphones should stay on between the songs...
Buddy Holly reloaded on the Reeperbahn
The concerts were a complete success, not least because the chemistry between the musicians was right from the start and also transferred directly to the audience. The evenings were filled with good music and an unexpected amount of stand-up comedy, prompting the theatre management to offer the guys regular shows at their larger establishment right on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg: the Imperial Theatre!
The five gladly accepted the offer and played their way into the hearts of their audience as Buddy Holly reloaded for ten years. Other promoters quickly showed interest in the quintet, which has played at various guest performances and events all over Germany.
Buddy Holly reloaded also locked themselves in the recording studio for a while to record their versions of songs like Peggy Sue, Oh Boy!, That'll be the day, Everyday or their own interpretation of Falco's "Amadeus" in the style of Buddy Holly. The CD resulting from these recordings has since been released on the newly founded Musical Creations label.
Buddy Holly reloaded and guests
Video: time and again, celebrity guests came to Buddy Holly reloaded at the Imperial Theatre. Besides the regular guest and TV celebrity Fabian Harloff - and amongst others - Earl Carpenter and Drew Sarich, who starred opposite each other as Inspector Javert and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables on London's West End. Here, West End and Broadway star Earl Carpenter sings a special version of "Stars".
