playbill vip

Synopsis

When the U.S. Army drafts Conrad Birdie, a young, rock star, his last publicity stunt sends one, small Ohio town into a frenzy.  Women love him, men want to be him and teenage girls around the country scream with glee at the mere mention of his name. His manager, Albert Peterson, along with Albert’s long-time love, Rose, select a super fan to receive a goodbye kiss from Conrad for the entire world to see on television. The super fan, Kim MacAfee, can’t understand why her boyfriend Hugo would be upset by her kissing another guy. Rose can’t take another minute of Albert running away from marriage, or putting up with his overbearing mother; and Sweet Apple, Ohio can’t handle the teen rebellion inspired by the arrival of bad-boy Birdie. Will Sweet Apple ever be the same?

Director's Note

Bye Bye Birdie is a wonderful throwback to a bygone era in which people lived seemingly "simple" lives.  Life has never been simple. This play clearly demonstrates sexism and racism that we, as a cast, have had to navigate by creating a reality onstage that presents characters who might seem like caricatures because of their outlandish thoughts and actions.  We have grown to love these misguided characters and hope our audiences understand that drama comes from flawed characters and so does comedy.  

While some may think this show is outdated, let me remind you about the Beliebers ( Justin Bieber fans) and Little Monsters (Lady Gaga fans) of today who join the ranks of the passionate fan bases of Kiss (The Kiss Army), The Grateful Dead (Dead Heads), Jimmy Buffet (Parrotheads), and so many more throughout rock-n-roll history; including Barry Manilow (Fanilows). The songs in the show are famous and contagious, so get ready to rock out for the next two hours! I am so proud of the cast and crew for making theatre magic!

Josef Albers's "Interaction of Color" (1963)

This artist's work is a source of inspiration for the set and costume designs for this production.