Armaan, age 9 and his mom Shefali review Bud, Not Buddy

“Bud not Buddy” is a brilliantly staged performance with amazing attention to detail, cast partly in a narrative style reminiscent of the book yet uniquely different with each character adding his own personality to the play. The story, while being told largely from Bud’s point of view, was still able to present each character’s personality & conveyed the main idea of Bud’s courageous search for his father & his adventures along the way, the setbacks & the people he meets. It has the added element of showing life during the “Depression” & the racial undertones during that era.

The presentation was easy to follow even for those not familiar with the story. Bud is optimistic, brave & mature well beyond his 10 years with his self constructed list of rules “to have a funner life & make a better liar out of yourself”, his mother, though dead, is constantly in his thoughts & is gentle, loving, always guiding Bud to do the right thing, his grandfather-Herman.F. Calloway, a gruff & tough musician with a no-nonsense exterior but with a broken grieving heart, are all able to move you to tears as you watch the story unfold.

The sets were extremely creative & adaptable for the changing settings of the play using smoke & strobes in various scenes for a dramatic effect. The costumes evoked an old world nostalgia. We were totally captivated by the stellar performance & both my son & I thoroughly enjoyed the play.

- Armaan, age 9 and Shefali, age 40