“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” plays at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell Street, Arlington Heights. Preview performances ($35) run July 18-25; regular performances run July 25 through Aug. 31.

Expect plenty of attention to detail when the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre visits the early days of rock ’n’ roll with “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” its final show of the 2018-19 Main Stage Subscription Series.

The production, a tribute to the legacy of iconic singer/songwriter/guitarist Holly, who died at age 22, in 1959, opens at the Arlington Heights venue on July 18 and runs through Aug. 31.

Starring Chicago (Rogers Park) actor Travis Shanahan in the lead role, the show tells the story of Holly’s rise up the pop charts, first with his band, The Crickets and then as a solo artist until his tragic demise after the private plane he chartered following a Winter Dance Party tour stop in Clear Lake, Iowa crashed in a cornfield minutes after taking off in sub-freezing conditions.

Fellow rock pioneers Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) also perished in the accident, an event memorialized as “The Day the Music Died” in singer Don McLean’s massive 1971 hit, “American Pie.”

Part rock concert, part Broadway-style musical (akin to “Million Dollar Quartet”), “Buddy …” features a live band portraying The Crickets, a group that burst onto the fledgling rock scene in 1957 with the No. 1 hit single, “That’ll Be the Day,” one of seven Top 40 singles Holly and Co. recorded between August ’57 and October ’58.

The show was first staged in London, in 1989, made it to Broadway in 1990 and has been performed in at least 17 countries ever since.

But rather than offer a paint-by-numbers version of the time-tested “jukebox” musical, Metropolis Executive Artistic Director Joe Keefe, of Glencoe, is promising an experience that’s as close to the real thing as possible.

“Carbon-copying a show, there’s no huge value in that,” said Keefe, who also directed “Spamalot,” “RENT” and “A Chorus Line” at Metropolis. “We want to keep it intrinsic and organic. It begins with the music. Buddy was such an original. He had a short life, but he created so much good music. And his talent still resonates today. The music might be simple, but the way he put it together became classic. His music resonates with people who remember it as well as a new generation who can discover it now.

“So one of the things we’re stressing is the authenticity of the music. We formed the band with the actors and started their rehearsals a month before the show. We simulated the rehearsals in the same manner Buddy and the Crickets did. We began with that in mind — an authentic approach to the music. We wanted that in-the-moment feeling.”

That includes replicating the feel of a 1950s roadhouse or dance hall in the performance space, and honoring the fact that Holly’s music — incorporating country & western, blues and rockabilly stylings — was quite unique at the time and not universally accepted in its infant stages. It was raw and real, not polished and perfect.

“We want the cast to approach it from the same perspective, so we created conditions to simulate that,” Keefe said. “They have the dual responsibility to respect the music, but don’t play it exactly like the record … more how Buddy and the band would do it. He wanted to express his individuality, the craft and the art of rock ’n’ roll.

“We want the music to sound excellent, but don’t get to the point where it’s identical every moment. If it’s not perfect, that’s OK. We want the variations … those organic, visceral moments.”

Shanahan, 25, said he played guitar in rock bands during his high school and college years, but wasn’t overly familiar with the range of Holly’s influence until getting cast for the role.

“I knew the legend aspect of it, and I got exposed to some of his music,” he said. “But it has been eye-opening to me. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, even Elvis Costello and Elton John, maybe you don’t get those guys without Buddy Holly. That’s part of the thing that draws me to this role: Let me tell you the story of this guy who came before them.

“I absolutely think about the icon status. But as an actor, if I’m Buddy, I don’t know that I’m recording a hit song at the time. So I’m trying to take him out of being a legend or an icon and trying to find the little things unique to him as a person … things I relate to with him. Buddy was pretty confident. He really believed in what he was doing. But he was really still a kid, so there were times he was insecure and afraid. That’s interesting to me, seeing both sides.”

Music-wise, Shanahan is fully on board with Keefe’s desire to balance accuracy with authenticity.

“Part of performing live, things can go wrong,” Shanahan said. “Like Buddy and the Crickets, it’s us doing it live in front of people. Backtracking a bit, these were not the hits as we understand them today. It was a new style of music.

“From Day 1 (in rehearsals), we already had a band dynamic, and as soon as we got going we liked playing with each other. One of the things Joe (Keefe) has stressed, when we’re playing the songs, is to connect with each other … turn and look at the band members. People come to see a performance. You want it to be a unifying experience.”

Cast member Lauren Romano, of Glen Ellyn, portrays Peggy Sue Allison (girlfriend and future wife of Crickets drummer Jerry Allison, and the inspiration for Holly classics “Peggy Sue” and “Peggy Sue Got Married”), as well as Miss Winter 1959 beauty pageant winner Mary Lou Sokolof. She sings in the show as an ensemble member as well.

Similar to Shanahan, her knowledge of Holly’s significant standing as a rock icon was limited until she dug deeper into the history.

“It’s been cool to learn about his life,” said Romano, who also teaches at the Metropolis School of Performing Arts. “He was one of the first to pioneer this music. He wanted something new and fresh, and took it into the mainstream. In the show, you see he was this dynamic guy who wasn’t going to let anyone stop him. He had conviction and courage.

“It’s sad about the tragedy. It’s interesting to think about what he would have done if he lived longer. He left a huge mark on the music world. You want to remember where it all began.”

“Buddy” features more than two dozen songs in all, including Holly favorites “Everyday” and “Not Fade Away” as well as Valens’ signature hit, “La Bamba,” The Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace” and other top songs of the era.

“If you enjoy music, especially the authentic experience of live music — and to see the roots of rock ’n’ roll being created — you’ll enjoy this show,” Keefe said. “And the more we have the audience feel part of the experience, the better.”

“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” plays at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell Street, Arlington Heights. Preview performances ($35) run July 18-21; regular performances ($40) run July 25 through Aug. 31. For tickets, and more information, call the box office at 847-577-2121 or visit www.metropolisarts.com.