The Buddy Holly Show in London.

The Buddy Holly Show, worth every penny! My last week in London really perked up when I met up with my old Bangalore pals. Winter is a depressing time, as I cant spend enough time in my sons award winning garden. I always think of the love of plants inculcated in the boys, by my father and can see how much joy the garden gives him, like it gave my Dad. This time with winter in full blast, all we did was jet spray the patio and take off the stains left by the compost bags he had piled up there. Twenty bags of compost which he got at 2 quid a bag which he will use in the spring. Plus the bags of spring bulbs which we put down to flower in the spring. Cleaning up the garden too like raking up the leaves and fallen apples took several days of work. Every time I am visiting the UK, my dearest friend Averil Cutinho plans a show for us to go to and if the others can they join in. This time she decided on the famous Buddy Holly Show, which had come to the Fairfield Hall in EastCroydon. Usually we have to spend a huge figure to go to the West End theatres which are the mainstream professional theatres in and near the West End of London.

The father of Rock and Roll who died tragically at 22. Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, the West End s usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. London's theatrical heartland, often referred to as Theaterland or West End, it is roughly bounded by Piccadilly Circus to the west, Trafalgar Square to south, Tottenham Court Road to the north and Covent Garden to the east. All iconic names and touristy to visit, which I dont cause I studied in the UK and all that is old hat. So my son put me on the train from Woking to Clapham Junction and my friend Averil was waiting for me on the station. It was so exciting all bundled up against the cold and off we went to catch the train to East Croydon. There at the exit gate stood Coreen Moulton, another Bangalore friend who was not able to come with us as her father was greviously ill with pneumonia in the hospital. But we went out of the station and had lunch together at Box Park. A great little place just outside the station. “The whole park is made up of shipping containers,” explained my friend Averil. “ And every container was a little restaurant of different cuisines. " Go with Corrine and get yourself a meal while I sit here and keep our seats, " she said. The place was very popular judging by the crowds filling the place in the central seating area. Corrine and me went off to get ourselves a pizza each. Actually we preferred ordering a slice each and then sharing the massive slice.I took my favourite cheese and mushroom while Coreen took a ham and pepperoni and we shared our slices! Averil ofcourse wanted rice and so collected some Thai food with generous helpings of yellow Thai curry. The smell of the Kafir lime leaves in her curry was delicious.

Enjoying ourselves at Box Park with a pizza lunch After our meal and chatting for an hour, with my arms getting heavier with my gifts, Averil and I wandered down to the Fairfield Halls.It was 10 minutes from the station and I was glad I had my posh leather jacket on which had been just made for me in India by friend Coreen Fareed whose brand is called Gould. Ofcourse I had to wear Rashme’s blouses inside as layers to keep myself warm. Soon we landed in Fairfield hall and it was very enjoyable to get sucked into the ambience of a wonderful London theatre. The hall was packed to overflowing. London is always packed with tourists and theatre lovers any time of the year. And I dont feel I have done justice to my visit if I have not taken in a show. And what a show! The Buddy Holly Story is a musical in two acts written by Alan Janes, and featuring the music of Buddy Holly. It opened at London's Victoria Palace Theatre on 12 October 1989. Called the jukebox musical, Buddy ran in London's West End for over 12 years, playing 5,140 performances. Now the show is coming to lesser known halls and more people are able to enjoy it.

Three of us in Fairfiled Hall during the Intermission The Buddy Holly story tells the true story of Buddy’s meteoric rise to fame, from the moment in 1957 when ‘That’ll be the day’ hit the airwaves until his tragic death less than two years later on “The day the music died”. the show features over 20 of Buddy Holly’s greatest hits including ‘That’ll be the day’, ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘Everyday’, ‘Oh boy’, ‘Not fade away’, ‘Rave on’ and ‘Raining in my heart’, plus Ritchie Valens’ ‘La Bamba’ and the big bopper’s ‘Chantilly Lace’. The incredible legacy of the young man with glasses, whose musical career spanned an all-too-brief period during the golden days of rock & roll, continues to live on in the hearts of Buddy Lovers. I am familiar with the music cause Mum and Dad sang his songs and Dad played Radio Ceylon for us as we dressed to go to school. “The day the music died,” and ‘Raining in my heart’, were two songs along with Ritchie Valens’ ‘La Bamba’ which we sing even today. When the artists on stage asked us all to dance with them,Padma and I stood up and l shook our booties as the rest of the crowd did too! I love London and I love the shows. Then we headed back for the Box Park as Padma needed to eat and we sat down while she polished off some Thai food while we had our Lattes. Then Averil dropped me off at Clapham Junction and David collected me once I landed in Woking. It was a great evening and I look forward to the summer when I plan to hit London again.