When you travel 4,000 miles to see a show, you certainly hope it’s going to be good.
Grammy-winning songwriter and lyricist Sir Tim Rice flew from London to St. Paul to see “Teen Idol: The Bobby Vee Story” at St. Paul’s History Theatre on Thursday night. Rice and Vee, who died Monday of advanced Alzheimer’s disease at age 73, were friends.
And, yes, he said at a news conference on Friday morning, the History Theatre production, which closes this weekend, is “a great show, a great tribute to a great artist.”
The show, “Teen Idol,” which was written in conjunction with Bobby Vee’s sons Jeff and Tommy, didn’t shy away from the tragedy of the illness, Rice said, but the audience left feeling good.
“That’s what Bobby did,” Rice said. “He made you feel good.”
Rice started listening to Vee’s music when he was in school in England in the early 1960s. “Rubber Ball” was Vee’s first hit there, Rice said, although Vee already had U.S. hits with “Devil or Angel” and “Suzie Baby.”
The two met when Vee’s band played for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday party in 1998 in England. Rice said he has good memories of visiting the Vee family in Minnesota, including enjoying steaks at the Vee house near St. Cloud and singing at a bar in White Bear Lake.
After a breakfast conversation one morning, Vee and Rice wrote a song together, “Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?” based on the girl in the title of Buddy Holly’s famous song.
Rice, who worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber on several Broadway smashes, including “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” and later collaborated with Elton John on “The Lion King” and “Aida,” said a good musical has to have a good story behind it.
“Teen Idol” follows Bob Velline’s rise to pop stardom as Bobby Vee after an unlikely start filling in for Buddy Holly after Holly’s plane crashed and killed the musicians onboard on the way to a show in Vee’s hometown of Fargo.
But “Teen Idol” is first and foremost a love story, said playwright Bob Beverage. Vee was married more than 50 years.
“Even if you didn’t know Bobby Vee’s music, this is a good story,” said Rice, who intended to come to St. Paul to see the production before his friend died. “I’m very happy to be here. And very sad to be here at the same time.”
Sir Tim Rice in St. Paul to see Bobby Vee show @HistoryTheatre talks about working with AL Webber and Elton John pic.twitter.com/DKOfO7Oi4h
— Kathy Berdan (@KathyBerdan) October 28, 2016
The remaining shows of “Teen Idol” are sold out, but there are tickets for “Bandstand Bop,” a History Theatre fundraiser 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Vee’s sons and the cast will perform. For info: http://historytheatre.com.
