AUGUSTA — The guy who carries the “applause” sign is out of a job once Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story starts rocking that massive arched roof of The Barn Theatre.

Nobody has to remind the audience to clap along to rock’n’roll classics like “Shout” and “Peggy Sue.” And by the end of the show, Wednesday’s audience was on its feet clapping along and dancing at their seats to a finale of favorites such as “Oh, Boy” and “Johnny B. Goode.”

I wasn’t around to see Buddy Holly perform in real life, but I’ve seen “Buddy:The Buddy Holly Story” presented in London and on national tour. Yet, I don’t think I have ever experienced as effective and interactive a production as the current show at The Barn. For a couple of hours, the rock legend lives again.

Guest star Andy Christopher is extraordinary. He really becomes Buddy Holly, from his lanky have-you-eaten frame and innocent smile to his impressive guitar licks and impulsive leaps. Christopher has been playing the role since 2010 on national tours and at major theaters such as the St. Louis Muny Opera. He brings Holly’s music back to life with gusto, yet he doesn’t break a sweat.

Director Brendan Ragotzy surrounds Christopher’s talent with stellar support including musician/actors to portray Holly’s bandmates (Quinn Moran and Alex Crossland) and Barn regulars fielding rock legend roles such as J.P. Richardson (Charlie King) and Ritchie Valens (Jamey Grisham). Scenic designer Samantha Snow creates a basic all-purpose music-themed set with a revolving centerpiece that allows fluid scene changes. The orchestra emerges from its usual niche under the stage to perch music director Matt Shabala and drummer Dave Van Haren above the sound booths of the set. By the final scene, eight musicians, including bass, pianos, trumpet, and guitars are lined up across the back of the stage and gyrating, costumed backup singers are filling every inch.

Written by Alan Janes, the 1989 musical is designed to recreate the feeling of live performances, which works particularly well on the Barn’s traditional proscenium stage with its red velvet curtain. The audience becomes part of the show right from the beginning by following the prompt of the “applause” sign at a Texas radio station. But audience response really kicks into gear when the show moves to Harlem’s all-black Apollo Theatre where guest artist Emily Agy leads a rollicking performance of “Shout.”

In between performances of Holly hits such as “That’ll Be the Day” and “Everyday,” a story evolves of three Texas teens who go against the country music of the 1950s to perform some of the earliest rock’n’roll. Buddy’s agent Hipockets (Hans Friedrichs) says the bespectacled singer has about as much sex appeal as a telegraph pole. But Buddy Holly and the Crickets start hitting success after recording in the backyard studio of Norman Petty (Eric Parker). Swept to radio fame, Buddy proposes to Maria Elena (Andrea Arvanigian), the receptionist at his record publisher, following a five-hour whirlwind romance. After they marry the band breaks up, and Buddy heads out as a solo artist on the Winter Dance Party bus tour in 1959.

Most people know how this story ends – Buddy Holly, J. P. Richardson and Ritchie Valens were killed in plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959.   That knowledge makes the final performance at Clear Lake, Iowa, particularly poignant. Yet it doesn’t dim the enthusiasm of the final scene. Charlie King is dynamite as “Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson with his deep “Hello Baby” opening to “Chantilly Lace.” Jamey Grisham leads a sparkling rendition of Ritchie Valens’ hit “LaBamba.” The three of them – Holly, Richardson and Valens – exude energy and joy for life, duck-walking together across the stage. The music is so good and so much fun you just never want it to end.

The fateful finale is handled perfectly: the music may stop, but it never dies.

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