Although "Bye Bye Birdie" is
considered part of the "Golden Age" of musicals, and
it is produced endlessly in youth theaters around the country,
it has never been revived on Broadway. That is all the more amazing
considering the show introduced some of our most beloved popular
songs – "Put on a Happy Face," "A Lotta Livin’
to Do" and "Kids!"
Phill Greenland, who co-directs Brooklyn Family Theatre’s production
of "Bye Bye Birdie" (through Nov. 20) with Lorraine
Stobbe, believes this may be because the play, which revolves
around an Elvis-like rock ’n’ roll superstar named Conrad Birdie,
is so much a part of the late 1950s, it has now become a period
piece and a bit too outdated for Broadway. But with hits like
"Annie," "The Wiz" and "You’re a Good
Man, Charlie Brown" under his belt, Greenland was willing
to take a chance on what is really a sure thing.
"Bye Bye Birdie," which opened at the Martin Beck Theatre
on April 14, 1960, was the first big hit for songwriters Charles
Strouse and Lee Adams, librettist Michael Stewart and director
Gower Champion. It also gave a huge boost to the careers of Dick
Van Dyke and Paul Lynde.
The show ran for 607 performances and was made into a film three
years later starring Ann-Margret, with Van Dyke repeating his
stage role and Ed Sullivan playing himself.
As the show opens, manager Albert Peterson (Hector Coris, a veteran
of many Brooklyn Family Theatre shows, who once again proves
he can make any part his own) is in a quandary. His client, Conrad
Birdie (Travis Bloom, a newcomer we’d like to see more of) has
been drafted into the Army. Rose (Kanova Johnson), Albert’s secretary
and girlfriend, is tired after waiting eight years for him to
give up the music business and settle down as an English teacher.
Rose tells him she’s quitting her job and wants him out of her
life. Albert’s mother, the overbearing Mae (the biting and boisterous
Gail Lemelbaum) refuses to get out of his life.
Mostly out of desperation, Rose suggests a publicity stunt that
will make enough money for Albert to get out of the business
forever: one lucky Birdie fan will be chosen to give the star
a farewell kiss on the Ed Sullivan show, which will hopefully
lift Birdie’s latest record, "One Last Kiss," to the
top of the charts.
The fortunate young lady is Kim MacAfee (Christina Neubrand)
of Sweet Apple (compare to Big Apple), Ohio, who unfortunately
has a jealous boyfriend, Hugo Peabody (Billy Rayner), and a disgruntled
father, Harry (Jonathan Valuckas, who made the perhaps difficult
but ultimately rewarding decision to pass up directing to take
up this part).
Using painted flats, color-coordinated costumes and a few props,
Greenland and Stobbe have created the feel of small-town Sweet
Apple and the simple lovable people who live there through songs
like "The Telephone Hour" with its teen chatter, and
"Ed Sullivan (Hymn for a Sunday Evening)." While the
plot (thin as it is) advances with songs like "What Did
I Ever See in Him?" and, of course, there’s Lemelbaum’s
rousing "A Mother Doesn’t Matter Anymore," originally
performed by Kay Medford, who took up the same theme in Broadway’s
"Funny Girl" with "Who Taught Her Everything."
For the most part, Greenland and Stobbe are served well by the
enthusiastic cast. Coris, Valuckas and Lemelbaum each have a
voice and presence that keeps the show moving briskly. Bloom
is a sexy, hip-swiveling Birdie, who comes close enough to The
King to satisfy this baby boomer. But although Johnson and Neubrand
have nailed their roles, neither have voices that are strong
enough for leads.
However, "Bye Bye Birdie" depends heavily on a lively
chorus of teens, and in songs like "A Lotta Livin’ to Do,"
"The Telephone Hour" and "The Ice House,"
this ensemble makes it abundantly obvious why the musical launched
the careers of Strouse, Adams and Stewart.
"Bye Bye Birdie" is definitely a must-see for kids
of all ages, and parents who accompany their children won’t have
much trouble putting on a happy face while watching this exuberant
romp.
Brooklyn Family Theatre’s production
of "Bye Bye Birdie" runs through Nov. 20, Fridays at
8 pm, Saturdays at 4 pm and 8 pm and Sundays at 5 pm. Tickets
are $12. Brooklyn Family Theatre is located at 1012 Eighth Ave.
at 10th Street in Park Slope. For reservations, call (718) 670-7205
or visit www.brooklynfamilytheatre.com.
