BUDDY HOLLY'S brilliant music is one of the jewels in the crown of rock 'n roll; whether it's the diamond or emerald is debatable but what is not debatable is the fact that nearly sixty years after his tragic death on February 3, 1959 the music of Charles Hardin Holley has stood the test of time and still sounds fantastic.

We first encounter a nineteen-year-old "Buddy Holly", circa 1955 in his home town of Lubbock, Texas.

Buddy (Glen Joseph) and his two friends, The Crickets (Joe Butcher as Joe B Mauldin and Josh Huberfield as Jerry Allison), are playing insipid country and western music on a local radio and then suddenly burst into an up-tempo Rip It Up. It's the defining change. Even the title suggests this is a new era.

For the next two hours we're treated to Holly's classics That'll Be The Day, Everyday, Peggy Sue, Words of Love, Oh Boy and Heartbeat, to name some. There's also Chuck Berry's Brown Eyed Handsome Man and Johnny B Goode , The Big Bopper (Thomas Mitchells) singing Chantilly Lace and Ritchie Valens (Jordan Cunningham) delivering the evergreen La Bamba

This is purely about the brilliant legacy left by these pioneering artists. It's a shame about the book. The storyline at times is like chewing anodyne bubblegum and gets in the way of the music, especially the endless blackouts.

Holly's golden period of timeless hits lasted only 18 months. Frustratingly, we find out little about the man - other than he smiled all the time - or his fall out with the Crickets or his relationship with manager/producer Norman Petty who took a credit (and a financial cut) on nearly all of Holly's songs.

Holly tragically died in an aeroplane crash with the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valence when he was only 22. We are told he did the tour because he was skint. How come?

Ironically, while the music of The Buddy Holly sounded vibrant the show itself felt as though it had comfortably entered middle-aged, not the youthful, exuberant, dramatic spectacle it should be.

Review: Ed Waugh