Glenelg High School Presents "Bye Bye Birdie"

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Permalink Reply by Janet S. Dabu on March 19, 2012 at 8:12pm

More than Sincere

 

            A screen shows black and white pictures of girls reaching out and breaking down over their hero, rock-and-roll star Conrad Birdie. The music business must continue, but what happens when Conrad gets drafted into the army? Glenelg High School’s March 9^th production of Bye Bye Birdie was funny and touching as it displayed hearts throbbing in several ways.

            When Albert Peterson, director of Almaelou Music, finds that his star player Conrad Birdie has been drafted, he has no one to turn to but his secretary and sweetheart Rose Alvarez. Rose ingeniously finds a way to take advantage of the situation by using the draft as a publicity stunt, picking a random name of the girl who will receive one last kiss from Conrad before going off to war.

            Jordan Andre (Albert Peterson) masterfully conveyed a mature mama’s boy. His interactions with Leila Chawkat (Mae Peterson) were always strained with a defeated voice, as he struggled to tell his mother that he wanted out of the company. Andre’s facial expressions revealed a frustrated Albert when answering calls on the phone, his brows furrowed and hands flicking, showing his rolled up sleeves. When Andre interacted with the girls at the train station, he made dancing look easy, sliding into a tap dance and tweaking the girls’ noses when they wouldn’t smile for him. His partner Molly McDermid (Rose Alverez) showed saucy dance moves when clicking her castanets in “Spanish Rose” and enticed the men into a conga line at the shriner’s club.

            The supporting characters shined onstage as well. Derry MacDermott (Harry MacAfee) was humorous in his portrayal of Kim’s father. He released raspy breaths when he was angry, sending the audience into giggles. While he was comical when he burst into fits, yelling about Nero burning Rome or punching the air with his legs when he could not have his fried eggs, he was hilarious when taking calming breaths or pushing Conrad out of the way in order to be better seen on the Ed Sullivan Show. Paul Garvey (Hugo Peabody) also squeezed the audience for laughs. How he felt for Kim was made tangible as Garvey sighed, giggled, and rocked back and forth in front of her. Sola Fadiran as Maude was a joy to watch as he told his customers in a deep voice to get out while cleaning the counter with a rag. He cradled the phone lovingly as he heard Albert sing his love over the phone. The ensemble was enthusiastically responsive to the other actors, moving their hips as Conrad swiveled, and clambering over each other to hear what Kim had to say on the phone.

            Despite many scene changes, transitions were smooth and quick. As actors sang or spoke in the front platform, shift members moved the MacAfee’s house into place. The set itself was interesting to look at with a few pieces simply suggesting what they were, such as the see-through box for a telephone booth. The MacAfee’s house contained bright pink walls, upbeat for an all-American family, with white polka-dots covering Kim’s room. Lights played a role in setting the mood for the scene. When Rose broke into the shriner’s club, magenta lights were turned on and cast dancing shadows to make the stage feel like a foreign land. Blue lights also defined a frigid ice house with nothing else onstage but a bench.

            This show boasted delightful songs and dance numbers with a cast more than up to the task. Whether a child, teenager, or adult, Glenelg’s Bye Bye Birdie left the audience with a happy face.

Permalink Reply by Noor Qasmieh on March 20, 2012 at 6:43pm

     God bless Conrad Birdie, the only man who reduces teens to snarling, raging, panting, jungle beasts! Glenelg's production of Bye Bye Birdie, seen  March 9th at 7 p.m, left every audience member swooning and fawning for more.
    Teenage heartthrob Conrad Birdie is soon to be drafted and manager Albert Peterson struggles to deal with the blow to his company. But Rose Alvarez. longtime sweetheart and secretary, concocts a scheme that sends them all to Sweet Apple, Ohio where Conrad will bestow one last kiss to a very lucky teenage girl.
    With a vibrant and effervescent cast, Glenelg's Bye Bye Birdie kept the audience near ready to leap from their seats and dance along. An explosion of Technicolor greeted all during “The Telephone Hour” and the ebullient energy introduced was infectious.
    Jordan Andre as overworked Albert Peterson set the bar high with his mellifluous vocals and nimble  toes, as especially showcased by the number “Put on a Happy Face.” With a slightly bumbling but well meaning nature, Andre was a pillar in this production. Molly McDermid was mildly caustic and sharp of wit as Rose Alvarez. Adept, lithe and alluring, McDermid became an object of desire with nothing more than her dancing abilities during “Shriner's Ballet.” Greta Sobieski was the lovable Kim MacAfee. She demonstrated versatility once her maturity grew in the song “How Lovely to Be a Woman” versus her childish swooning over the mere mention of Conrad's name. Jacob Liming stole the show as Conrad Birdie, the broodingly handsome pop star. Whether he donned  a leopard print bathrobe or a sequined jumpsuit, Liming charmed audiences with his devil may care attitude. His vocal abilities were marvelous in “Honestly Sincere,” appearing both greasy and appealing as he ordered his fanclub to “suffer.”
    Leila Chawkat as the sympathy seeking Mae Peterson was a riot, notably when she attempted to seduce Conrad with her well aged-ed body, or intentionally butchered the surname Alvarez. Stern patriarch of the MacAfee family, Derry MacDermott brought on the laughs as he was constantly one offense away from an aneurysm. The chorus, constructed of Conrad smitten teens, created and maintained hysteric atmosphere, especially marked by enthusiastic Stephanie Clark as Ursula. Jace Franco as Randolph was an unexpected delight impersonating Birdie, complete with lip syncing and  hip thrusts. The finesse of the numbers from the chorus varied at times, but always seemed to pick up at just the right moments.  
    Costumes initially lacked a specific time period at first, marked by the presence of anachronistic skinny jeans. However, as the musical played on, poodle skirts and bobby socks made their way onto the stage and were welcomed. The use of set pieces was minimal,  a smart choice, as the more utilized backdrops forced actors to bring their own energy to the stage. Red lights of seduction were well used during the “Shriner's Ballet,” and when combined with snake charming music from the orchestra, created eerie and captivating shadows.
    Time is a-wastin', make your way to see Bye Bye Birdie, featuring the hottest soldier since Joan of Arc and his hypnotic pair of hips!

Permalink Reply by Christopher King on March 21, 2012 at 6:38pm

Love, Leather, Hip Thrusts, and Poodle Skirts

            “We’ve got a lot of livin’ to do,” sang Conrad Birdie in the astounding musical Bye Bye Birdie on Friday, March 9^th, 2012. The show performed from March 8 – 10 at Glenelg High School at 7:00 p.m., and took the audience on a swingin’ rock-n-roll ride.

            The show is set in the quiet little town of Sweet Apple, Ohio in 1959, where all the teenagers adore the fabulous rock-n-roll sensation Conrad Birdie. They discover that Conrad Birdie has just been drafted for the Vietnam War. This news throws Conrad’s managers into a tizzy as they plan one final publicity stunt for Conrad before he goes off to war. The teens hear that Kim MacAfee, the leader of the Conrad Birdie fan club, has been chosen to meet and kiss Conrad in person, and the whole town gets in an uproar.                   

            The show used the entire auditorium as an acting space. In the beginning number several actresses popped up from the seats of the auditorium to profess their love for Conrad. The auditorium also served as a space for actors to dance, sing, enter, and exit. The show began with a slide show of people going gaga over Conrad Birdie in order to set up the joyful mood of the show. The entire cast had enthusiasm and energy to make the show seem larger than life. The dance elements helped move the show along and gave it the vibe of the 1960’s.

            Jordan Andre (Albert Peterson) wooed the audience during his musical tap number “Put on a Happy Face” by showing his character’s charm and fatherly like presence to put the upbeat song into the heart of the audience. Molly McDermid (Rose Alverez) had great chemistry with all of her fellow actors. Her characters’ love interest with Albert Peterson was very believable. Her dance moves and singing during the song “Spanish Rose” showed her character’s inner struggle. Throughout the musical she had a good realizations and discovery moments that showed that her character wanted to be loved.

            The supporting actors, such as Jake Rodriguez (Harvey Johnson), and Stephanie Clark (Ursula), added humor and wit to the show by having great reactions and well-developed characters to create the light hearted mood. The ensemble made the show seem even bigger, and added depth to the show by creating the image of just how important Conrad Birdie was to them. They made the most of their time on stage by having large comedic reactions that helped set the mood of the show.

            The moving sets were simplistic and were used to create the home of Kim MacAfee and the various teen’s homes during the song “Telephone Hour”.  Backdrops were used to set the scene in an office building, alley way, train station, and in the center of town.  Glenelg High School Theatre Department also made use of pivoting lights and silver tassel to set a scene in a TV studio. The lighting and sound elements seemed to be functioning properly to give the audience a great performance. The costumes screamed the early 1960’s. They included poodle skirts, leather jackets, skinny jeans, and short sleeved button up shirts.

              Bye Bye Birdie left the audience with a happy outlook on life and a song in their heart. The entire cast had great energy and seemed to enjoy giving the audience a wonderful show. After seeing the show everyone’s life was “Rosie.”

Permalink Reply by Dirk Holzman on April 10, 2012 at 9:00pm

Come Say Bye Bye, Birdie at Glenelg High School!

            Glenelg High School left the audience singing Bye Bye, Birdie after marvelous performance, which was filled with energy and kept the audience involved.

            Bye Bye, Birdie is comedic musical about Albert Peterson, an agent and songwriter, who finds himself in trouble when the rock superstar, Conrad Birdie, is drafted into the army. Rosie Alvarez, his Hispanic secretary and girlfriend, comes up with a publicity stunt to have Birdie premiere a song and give a girl a kiss before he goes overseas. The lucky girl chosen is Kim MacAfee from Sweet Apple, Ohio. Before she is told Conrad Birdie will kiss her, she had just announced that she is going steady with her boyfriend Hugo. How long will that last once Conrad Birdie comes to have all of the girls faun over him, and the guys wish they were him? And what’s going to happen with Albert and Rosie’s stressed relationships? You’ll just have to see the show to find out!

            Overall, the production was stupendous: its comedy and energy kept the audience entertained the entire time. The instant the show began and girls began popping up in the audience to sing “Bye Bye, Birdie,” the audience was hooked.

             Last year, Jordan Andre amazed the audience with his spectacular performance of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. This year, he did the exact same, when he showed off his talent in dancing, singing, and acting while playing Albert Peterson. Molly McDermid, who played Rosie Alvarez, did a remarkable job as well. Their beautiful voices were a treat to listen to, and their dancing and acting was a joy to watch.

            However, the supporting characters and ensemble, including Harry MacAfee, Conrad Birdie, Kim MacAfee, Hugo, Kim’s friends, the happy face dancers, and the rest of the ensemble, brought the show to life and kept the audience laughing. Derry MacDermott did an excellent job playing Kim’s father, with his outstanding comedic timing, singing, and acting. Hugo (Paul Garvey) and Kim (Greta Sobieski) were also fantastic at portraying their parts. Jacob Liming did a marvelous job when acting as the rock superstar, Conrad Birdie, and won the crowd over with his dancing and singing. The rest of the supporting roles and ensemble did an amazing job and kept the audience involved and entertained with their hilarious facial expressions and excellent acting. Overall, the ensemble’s performance was excellent and did a fantastic job in the show.

            The stage crew, lighting, and sound did a splendid job with the production. Although there were a few sound malfunctions, they were quickly fixed and the actors continued on as if they never occurred. The sets, although extremely minimalist, were spectacular because of the wide-variety of backdrops that they used to make the sets feel like there was a lot more to them. The costumes in the show were also amazing because they demonstrated precision and attention-to-detail and perfectly fit the period.

            The cast of Glenelg High School’s Bye Bye, Birdie put on a truly impressive performance, and at the end of the show, had the entire audience wishing they did not have to say bye to Birdie after all.