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07/28/2016 12:01 AMBye Bye Birdie is one of those shows that’s been synonymous with high school musicals since the ’60s when it opened on Broadway, soon followed by the movie version. A stellar collaboration with Michael Stewart (book), Lee Adams (lyrics), and Charles Strouse (music), it’s a great fit for young performers due to the numerous roles for rock star swooning teens and its upbeat musical score.
And so, it seemed like a surprising choice for staging a professional production at the Goodspeed Opera House.
But boy, is this fresh new revival directed by Jenn Thompson with attention to every detail, surprisingly good in every way.
The story centers on rock phenomenon Conrad Birdie (Rhett Guter), whose character is based on the young Elvis Presley when he was drafted into the Army in 1957. Birdie makes a final appearance in the fictitious Sweet Apple, Ohio, where 15-year-old Kim MacAfee (Tristen Buettel) wins the chance to give him “One Last Kiss” before he ships off to Boot Camp. The dilemma is she’s just pledged to go steady with the naïve Hugo Peabody (Alex Walton), who creates a scene and throws the plan off track. Meanwhile, there are parallel romantic issues between “the grown-ups” Albert Peterson (George Merrick), Birdie’s workaholic manager, and Albert’s secretary Rose Alvarez (Janet Dacal).
Rose wants Albert to quit the New York rat race, settle down in the country, and become “An English Teacher,” but there’s the problem of Albert’s overbearing mother Mae (Kristine Zbornik), who disapproves of Rose.
Yes, it’s corny—why doesn’t Rose become an English teacher herself? It’s not like it’s a job women weren’t hired for in the 1960s! But the show’s satirical humor and playfulness makes up for the more obviously outmoded writing.
The high-octane energy of the terrific cast never wanes beginning, with the opening number, “The Telephone Hour” with the teens all gossiping on those old-fashioned devices that plugged into the wall (remember?).
It’s rare to see actors who across the board appear to be so genuinely enjoying themselves and each other, and, like an athletic event, putting everything they’ve got into their performances and dance numbers—choreography courtesy of Patricia Wilcox.
Guter has Birdie down pat from his sexy, snide grin to his spacey disconnect with reality. He doesn’t say one word until halfway through the first act when he belts out “Honestly Sincere” making the number all the funnier as Birdie suddenly comes to life full force in the school auditorium, scattering the celebrity-crazed students into the audience where they dance up a storm in the aisles and eventually collapse.
Dacal gives a standout performance as the meek secretary who becomes the fiery “Spanish Rose”—a number she infuses with both sensuality and humor.
Merrick is well-matched as Rose’s conflicted, mama’s boy love interest and sings the marvelous “Put on a Happy Face” with tremendous charm.
Speaking of which, although the role of the martyred Mae in her plastic rain hat and oversized pocketbook is silly and stereotypic, Zbornik gives it her all and is a hoot, especially in her big number, “A Mother Doesn’t Matter Anymore.”
Buettel is a first-rate choice for the role of Kim—the determined, rebellious teen caught between childhood and adulthood. Her splendid vocals are highlighted in such numbers as “How Lovely to Be a Woman,” “One Boy,” and “What Did I Ever See in Him?” (with Rose).
Kim’s mother Doris (Donna English), father Harry (Warren Kelly), and little brother Randolph (Ben Stone-Zelman) are the typical wholesome American family.
English is predictable as the anxious mother, but Kelly is particularly winsome as the bumbling father resisting the inevitable “times they are a-changin’” as the ’60s march on, trying to hold on to his authority, but always with terrific tongue-in-cheek humor. His eyes light up in childlike anticipation of being on TV in the humorous “Hymn for a Sunday Evening” (better known as “The Ed Sullivan” song), replete with a robed choir. And Kelly leads the family in “Kids (Today),” another memorable number reflecting the generation gap.
All the elements interface beautifully in this polished production: Tobin Ost’s scenic design integrated with telephone poles and lines (versus cell towers), enhanced by Philip S. Rosenberg’s warm lighting; Daniel Brodie’s projections grounding the action in various locations; and David Toser’s “modern” costumes—from dorky to dazzling.
Bye Bye Birdie is at The Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam through Sept. 4. For tickets and schedule of performances, call the box office at 860-873-8668 or visit www.goodspeed.org.