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Bye Bye Birdie
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Bye Bye Birdie is a stage musical with a book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse.
Originally titled Let's Go Steady, the satire on American society is set in 1958. The story was inspired by the phenomenon of popular singer Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the army in 1957. The fictitious rock star character's name "Conrad Birdie" is word play on Conway Twitty, another popular singer of the era. The original Broadway production was a Tony Award-winning success.
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Encyclopedia
Bye Bye Birdie is a stage musical with a book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse.
Originally titled Let's Go Steady, the satire on American society is set in 1958. The story was inspired by the phenomenon of popular singer Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the army in 1957. The fictitious rock star character's name "Conrad Birdie" is word play on Conway Twitty, another popular singer of the era. The original Broadway production was a Tony Award-winning success. The show also became a popular choice for high school and college productions.
Productions notes
Produced by Edward Padula and directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, the Broadway production opened on April 14 1960 at the Martin Beck Theatre, transferring to the 54th Street Theatre and then the Shubert to complete its 607-performance run. The original cast included Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera, Paul Lynde, Dick Gautier, Susan Watson, Kay Medford and Charles Nelson Reilly. Reilly understudied for Van Dyke as Albert Peterson, who periodically took vacations and returned to the leading role.
Replacements later in the run included Gene Rayburn as Albert and Gretchen Wyler as Rosie.
During pre-production, Chita Rivera had taken the role of Rosie after both Carol Haney and Eydie Gorme turned it down, and the character's last name was changed from "Grant" to "Alvarez".
In the 1962 West End production, Peter Marshall played Albert and Marty Wilde portrayed Conrad Birdie. That production ran for 268 performances.
In 1981, there was a short-lived Broadway sequel, Bring Back Birdie, starring Donald O'Connor and returning original Broadway cast member Chita Rivera. It closed after four performances.
A U.S. tour from mid-1990 through June 1991 starred Tommy Tune as Albert, Ann Reinking as Rosie, Marc Kudisch as Conrad, Marcia Lewis as Mrs. Peterson, and Susan Egan as Kim.
The New York City Center Encores! staged concert production ran in May 2004, with Karen Ziemba as Rosie, Daniel Jenkins as Albert, Jessica Grovι as Kim, and Bob Gaynor as Conrad.
An abridged version of Bye Bye Birdie was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, October 2-5, 2008, as part of their Broadway: Three Generations production. Laura Osnes played Kim and Leslie Kritzer played Rosie.
Among those who have appeared in various stage productions of Bye Bye Birdie are Steve Zahn, Doris Roberts, Rue McClanahan, Gary Sandy, Kim Darby, and Gene Rayburn.
There is currently a non-equity production touring the USA with Windwood Theatricals, produced by Paul Bartz, which stars Regina Gatti as Rosie, Jonathan Van Dyke as Albert, Lara Hayhurst as Kim, and Eli Budwill as Conrad. Roundabout Theatre Company has announced plans for reviving the show on Broadway in the Fall 2009. Robert Longbottom has been announced as the director-choreographer, with no cast or specific date announcements.
Synopsis
Act One
Agent and songwriter Albert Peterson finds himself in trouble when hip-thrusting rock and roll superstar Conrad Birdie is drafted into the Army. Albert's secretary and sweetheart, Rose Alvarez, comes up with a last-ditch publicity stunt to have Conrad Birdie record and premiere a song before he is sent overseas. She makes Albert promise to give up the music business and to start teaching English at schools. ("An English Teacher.") They plan to have Birdie sing Albert's new song "One Last Kiss" and give one lucky girl from his fan club a real "last kiss" on The Ed Sullivan Show before going into the Army.
The lucky girl chosen randomly from Conrad's national fan club is fifteen-year-old Kim MacAfee from Sweet Apple, Ohio. All the teenagers in Sweet Apple are catching up on the latest gossip about Kim MacAfee and Hugo Peabody going steady. ("The Telephone Hour") Kim, excited to have a boyfriend, reflects on how happy she is with her maturity ("How Lovely to be a Woman"). Conrad, Albert and Rosie set off to Sweet Apple to prepare for the event. Before they depart by train from New York City, local teenage girls are ecstatic to meet Conrad, but two young girls are sad that by the time Conrad gets out of the army, they'll be too old for him. Albert advises them to be optimistic ("Put on a Happy Face"). Soon, reporters arrive and ask Albert, Rosie, and the teenagers about Conrad ("A Healthy, Normal, American Boy"). Conrad receives a hero's welcome in Sweet Apple, and Hugo worries that Kim likes Conrad more than she likes him, but Kim assures Hugo that he's the only boy she loves ("One Boy"). Conrad shocks the town parents and drives the teenage girls crazy with his performance of "Honestly Sincere".
Conrad becomes a guest in the MacAfee house and irritates Kim's father, Harry MacAfee, by being a rude and selfish guest and calling him "Fats". Harry's wife Doris dotes on Conrad, leaving her husband with no breakfast other than a warm soft drink. Harry does not want Kim to kiss Conrad until Albert tells him their whole family will be on The Ed Sullivan Show. Harry, Doris, Kim, and her younger brother Randolph sing Sullivan's praises in "Hymn for a Sunday Evening". Hugo becomes disastrously jealous of Conrad. Albert's overbearing, interfering mother Mae comes to break up her son's relationship with the Hispanic Rosie. Although Rosie is a positive portrayal of a Latina, Mae is narrow-minded and dislikes Rosie dating her son.
Rosie and Hugo plot a way to ruin the broadcast. Conrad sings "One Last Kiss" on The Ed Sullivan Show, and as he leans in to kiss Kim, Hugo runs onstage and punches him in the face. On live television, Conrad collapses, Rosie breaks up with Albert, and Albert, trying to cover for the mishaps of the evening, leads a chorus of "A Healthy, Normal, American Boy".
Act Two
Despite plans to refilm the broadcast, Rosie and Kim resolve to leave Albert and Hugo, each asking herself, "What Did I Ever See in Him?" Conrad decides he wants to go out and have a good time on his last night as a civilian, and encourages the teens to party, and they declare they've got "A Lot of Livin' to Do". Conrad, Kim, and all the teenagers except Hugo head for the Ice House where they can party without adult supervision. Hugo goes to Maude's Roadside Retreat, hoping to get drunk, but proprietor Harold Maude can tell that he's under age and refuses to serve him.
When Mr. MacAfee finds out Kim has run away, he and Mrs. MacAfee lament how disobedient "Kids" are today. Rosie ends up at Maude's Roadside Retreat, but Albert calls her on the telephone and begs her, "Baby Talk To Me". Rosie, hoping to forget Albert, interrupts a Shriners meeting being held in Maude's private dining room. She flirts with all the Shriners, and they begin a wild dance. Hugo and Albert rescue Rosie from the crazed Shriners, and Albert finally stands up to his mother, telling her to go home. Hugo tells the MacAfees and the other parents that the teenagers have all gone to the Ice House, and they all declare that they don't know what's wrong with their "Kids" (Reprise). Randolph joins in, stating that his older sister and the other teens are "ridiculous and so immature".
The adults and the police arrive at the Ice House and arrest Conrad, although he doesn't appear to have done anything illegal or immoral. Kim claims that she was intimidated by Conrad and Hugo gladly takes her back. After a reconciliation with Albert, Rosie sees Albert's mother and declares that she will marry Albert despite the mother's objections, and to irritate her, sings "Spanish Rose" with deliberate comic Hispanic exaggeration. Albert bails Conrad out of jail and arranges for him to sneak out of town dressed as a middle-aged woman -- presumably so he can report for Army induction as scheduled. Albert also gets his mother to leave Sweet Apple bound for home on the same train, and then tells Rosie that they're going to Pumpkin Falls, Iowa. The small town is in need of an English teacher, and they prefer the applicant to be married. Albert professes his love for her in "Rosie", and they go off together.
Film and television adaptations
1963 film
Bye Bye Birdie was first adapted to film in 1963. It starred Dick Van Dyke as Albert Peterson, Maureen Stapleton as Mama Mae Peterson, Janet Leigh as Rosie, Paul Lynde as Mr. MacAfee, Bobby Rydell as Hugo Peabody, and Ann-Margret as Kim MacAfee. Jesse Pearson played the role of teen idol Conrad Birdie. Ed Sullivan makes a substantial guest appearance as himself. The film is credited with making Ann-Margret a superstar during the mid-1960s, leading to her appearing with the real Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas (1964). The film ranked number 38 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.
Several significant changes were made in the plot and character relationships in the film version. Albert is not Birdie's agent but a talented research chemist who is struggling as a songwriter only to please his overbearing mother. He contributed to Birdie's initial success, and therefore Birdie "owes" him a favor. The film version also includes an additional character, a suave English teacher who flirts with Rosie. She plays up to him in several scenes after Albert has made her angry by caving in to his mother.
The positioning and context of several songs were changed as well. "An English Teacher," "A Healthy, Normal American Boy," "One Hundred Ways," "What Did I Ever See In Him?," "Baby Talk To Me" and "Spanish Rose" were eliminated entirely. "Kids" was performed in the MacAfee kitchen by Mr. MacAfee, Mama Mae Peterson, Albert and Randolph. "Put On A Happy Face" is performed by Albert and Rosie in the MacAfees' back yard; "A Lot of Livin' To Do" was performed by Conrad, Kim and Hugo at a teen dance; and "Rosie" is sung at the end of show by Albert, Rosie, Hugo and Kim. Kim also opens and closes the film version singing the title song, "Bye Bye, Birdie, I'm gonna miss you so...."
The film version ends on a brighter and lighter note. When Hugo punches Conrad, knocking him out with a single punch "live" on The Ed Sullivan Show, he wins Kim's heart, and the young couple is reunited. Albert's mother shows up after the broadcast with a man in tow, informs Albert and Rosie that she has married him, and gives Albert and Rosie her blessing for their long-postponed wedding.
Dick Van Dyke hated the making of the film, complaining to his wife, "They're turning it into the Ann-Margret show!" Susan Watson, who created the role of Kim in the stage version, later said, "Anyone who likes the film clearly didn't see the show."
1995 Made-For-TV Movie
A new adaptation was made for television in 1995. It starred Jason Alexander of Seinfeld in the role of Albert and Vanessa L. Williams as Rosie. Tyne Daly played Albert's mother Mae Peterson. Broadway actor Marc Kudisch, who played Conrad Birdie on tour opposite Tommy Tune, reprised the role. 1980s pop music sensation Chynna Phillips played Kim MacAfee, and George Wendt played her father Harry. While this version remained mostly true to the original musical, several songs were added and re-arranged in the show, and minimal dialogue was rewritten to smoothly facilitate their inclusion. The title song "Bye Bye Birdie", written for the 1963 film and sung by Ann-Margret, is rearranged and re-written as a rockin' quintet for a group of Sweet Apple girls at the soda shop. The verse of "One Boy" that Rosie sings was replaced with "Let's Settle Down". The song "Baby Talk to Me" returns to the show. Dialogue where Albert's mother Mae laments her fate was re-written into a song entitled "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore," and in "A Giant Step" Albert tells Rosie how he has finally broken free of his overbearing mother.
Roles and original Broadway cast
Song list
Act I
- Overture
- An English Teacher
- The Telephone Hour
- How Lovely To Be a Woman
- We Love You, Conrad!
- Put On A Happy Face
- A Normal, Healthy, American Boy
- One Boy
- One Boy (Reprise)
- Honestly Sincere
- Hymn For a Sunday Evening
- One Hundred Ways Ballet (dance only)
- One Last Kiss
Act II
- Entr'acte
- What Did I Ever See In Him?
- A Lot Of Livin' To Do
- Kids
- Baby, Talk To Me
- Shriner's Ballet (dance only)
- Kids (Reprise)
- Spanish Rose
- Rosie
- Finale
Cast and other recordings
Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Musical (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Van Dyke, winner; Gautier, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Rivera, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Choreography (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director (nominee)
Cultural references
The song "The Telephone Hour" is frequently parodied in television shows, for example in the opening number of the Xena musical episode "Lyre Lyre Hearts on Fire", in the Family Guy DVD version of the episode "Petarded", and a "Kids" parody in The Simpsons episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken". The song was also used in an episode of The Daily Show to explain the Valerie Plame Scandal.
Another song, "Put on a Happy Face" has been used in various television commercials, including for Wal-Mart in the 2000s for an advertising campaign with its smiley logo, in the early 1970s for a Kool-Aid commercial featuring a very young Jimmy Osmond, and in a cold sore medicine commercial. Instead of "Grey Skies Are Gonna Clear Up", the jingle ran, "Cold Sores Are Gonna Clear Up...." Another use for Put on a Happy Face was in the BBC television program Keeping Up Appearances. In that show's Christmas special "Sea Fever", the song is used as dance music aboard the QE2 when Hyacinth Bucket finds out that her brother-in-law Onslow won a cruise from horse racing.
A parody of Bye, Bye, Birdie was done in the animated show Home Movies in the fourth episode of the fourth season called "Bye Bye Greasy". The episode involved the main characters directing and performing in a school play named Bye Bye Greasy. The plot of the play featured a mix of other works including Grease, and Rebel Without a Cause.
The song, "A Lot of Livin' to Do" can be heard on the radio in the car in the beginning of the movie "Secondhand Lions."
In an episode of the sitcom One on One, the character Duane Knox announces that "It's bye bye, birdie!" when the mascot for the Baltimore Orioles intercepts a jersey Cal Ripken throws at him.
In an episode of The Golden Girls, Rose brings home a chicken to watch. When she asks "What do you say girls?" Blanche replies "How about bye bye birdie."
External links
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