Originally from Kennesaw, GA, Matt McClure first played Buddy back in 2015 in the sold-out run of the show at Venice Theatre in Florida. Since then, he has gone on to perform in numerous other productions across the country as Buddy – including North Shore Music Theatre (Beverly, MA), Fireside Theatre (Fort Atkinson, WI) and the Wick Theatre (Boca Raton, FL) – and also the fourth Cricket. Employing his deep knowledge of the show, Matt has more recently turned his talents to directing, including the Wick Theatre production (2024), Broadway Palm (Fort Myers, FL) and Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (Lancaster, PA) productions (2024/25).
Matt is a graduate of Piedmont College with a BA in Theatre Performance and a BA in Technical Theatre, and has used both of those degrees in mounting productions of Buddy as Buddy, 4th Cricket, Director, Band Director, and Scenic Designer. He looks forward to the future and hopes to continue bringing this amazing music to life!
Says Matt: “I can’t believe this one show has taken me across the country multiple times. The first time I did it I had just turned 23, and it was amazing to think that Buddy died close to that age. It’s hard to fathom the impact he had already made on music by then, and it really makes you wonder, ‘What am I doing with life?’ Four years later, it’s such a joy and honor to walk in his shoes from time to time and help people remember the late, great, Buddy Holly.”
Reviews:
“McClure has Holly’s stutters and hiccups down to a T (as in Texas)”
– James Sullivan, The Boston Globe
“(McClure) evokes a sense of Holly’s vocal and instrumental style and his determined behavior offstage to record his music the way he hears it… they get the audience up on its feet and eager to keep the music playing”
– Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“(McClure) looks quite a bit like the real Buddy even before he assumes those dark, horn-rimmed glasses. He has the tall, lanky frame of a youngster… He’s also able to play the guitar, sing with a Holly-like twang, and make you keep your eyes on him whenever he’s onstage, which is almost all of the time”
– Kay Kipling, Sarasota Magazine
“Not only does (McClure) look like the bespectacled teen heart-throb, he plays guitar and sings like him… The singer/actor’s actions are right in line with those of the entertainer he emulates”
– Lyn Geyer, The Suburban Times
Contact: [email protected]
North Shore Music Theatre photos © Paul Lyden / photos also courtesy of Cumberland County Playhouse (Crossville, TN) and Fireside Theatre
