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Though Conrad Birdie, the titular hero of Bye Bye Birdie, is a 1950s rock idol not unlike Elvis, the scenario of the heartthrob besieged by besotted teen (or pre-teen) fans still seems pretty timely nowadays.
The Sunnyvale Community Players opens its season on Sept 12 with this fun-loving, high-spirited musical about teenagers, rock & roll and American idols, that beyond its midcentury nostalgia is surprisingly current in some ways.
Drafted into the army, rock star Conrad Birdie will make one last public appearance as a civilian and promote one last song, "One Last Kiss," by appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show to receive—what else?—one last kiss from a devoted female fan.
Kim MacAfee from Sweet Apple, Ohio, is the fan chosen for the honor. But her stroke of luck seems more like misfortune to her family and her new boyfriend when Birdie comes to Sweet Apple and turns out to be not so sweet. Things eventually go sour, too, for Birdie's manager, Albert, and Albert's would-be fiancée, Rose, who cooked up the whole kiss publicity stunt as a way to recoup money Albert spent promoting Birdie's career.
When Bye Bye Birdie premiered on Broadway in 1960, its creators and much of its cast weren't widely known. But the musical, which included rising star Chita Rivera as well as Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde in the original cast, proved popular, and composer Charles Strouse and librettist Lee Adams made their mark with now-favorite showtunes like "A Lot of Livin' To Do."
The Sunnyvale Community Players will make their mark with a cast that includes Shannon Smith as Kim MacAfee, Tim Leaser as Conrad Birdie, Ron Evans as Albert and Rebecca Lipon as Rose. Directed by Doug Santana.
The Sunnyvale Community Players
present Bye Bye Birdie Sept. 12Oct. 5
at the Sunnyvale Community Center
Theater, 550 E. Remington Drive,
Sunnyvale. Tickets are $13$18. For more information, call 408.733.6111 or see http://www.sunnyvaleplayers.org.
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