Bye Bye Birdie
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Bye Bye Birdie is a musical satire on American society written by Michael Stewart (book), Lee Adams (lyrics), and Charles Strouse (music). It was first performed in the Martin Beck Theatre on April 14, 1960, directed by Gower Champion.
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Story
The fictional story takes place in 1958, centering around Conrad Birdie, a hip-thrusting rock and roll superstar akin to Elvis Presley; his agent, Albert Peterson; and Albert's love, Rose Alvarez. Albert finds himself in trouble when Conrad is drafted into the army, so he and Rose come up with a last-ditch publicity stunt: Before he is sent to the army, Conrad will give one lucky girl a kiss on The Ed Sullivan Show.
The lucky girl is chosen randomly from Conrad's fan club, and it happens to be Kim MacAfee. Rose, Conrad, and Albert set off to her house in Sweet Apple, Ohio to prepare for the event. However, things don't go quite as planned; Kim's father becomes dumbfounded at the prospect of being on The Ed Sullivan Show, Kim's boyfriend becomes disastrously jealous of Conrad, and Conrad himself becomes tired of the show business life and tries to teach the kids how to party!
Films
Bye Bye Birdie was first adapted to film in 1963. It starred Dick Van Dyke as Albert Peterson, Janet Leigh as Rose Alverez, and Ann-Margret as Kim MacAfee. Ed Sullivan also makes a guest appearance. The flow of the story differs significantly from the musical in this version.
A new adaptation for television was made in 1995. It starred Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame in the role of Albert Peterson and former Miss America Vanessa Williams as Rose Alverez. Veteran Broadway actor Marc Kudisch played Conrad Birdie. Eighties pop sensation Chyna Phillips played Kim MacAfee, and George Wendt played her father, Harry MacAfee. This version stayed true to the original play and adds in new songs.
Songs
Bye Bye Birdie features several notable songs. The song Kids was parodied in an episode of the Simpsons, and Put on a Happy Face was used by Wal-Mart for an advertising campaign with its popular smiley logo. One Boy was also parodied in an episode of Family Guy.
| Overture A | |
| Overture B | |
| An English Teacher | Rose Alvarez |
| The Telephone Hour | The children of Sweet Apple |
| How Lovely to be a Woman | Kim MacAfee |
| Put on a Happy Face | Albert Peterson and sad girls |
| Healthy Normal American Boy | Albert Peterson, Rose Alvarez, and company |
| One Boy | Kim MacAfee, Deborah, Sue, and Ursula |
| Honestly Sincere | Conrad Birdie, children of Sweet Apple |
| Hymn for a Sunday Evening | The MacAfee family |
| One Last Kiss | Conrad, MacAfee family, and company |
| Finale Act I | |
| Entr'acte A | |
| Entr'acte B | |
| What Did I Ever See in Him? | Rose Alvarez and Kim MacAfee |
| A Lot of Livin' To Do | Conrad Birdie and children of Sweet Apple |
| Kids | Mr. and Mrs. MacAfee |
| Spanish Rose | Rose Alvarez |
| Baby, Talk to Me | Albert Peterson and bar customers |
| Shriners' Ballet | Rose Alvarez and shriners |
| A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore* | Mae Peterson |
| Kids (reprise) | Mr. and Mrs. MacAfee and the adults of Sweet Apple |
| Ice House Livin' | Conrad Birdie, Kim MacAfee, and the children of Sweet Apple |
| An English Teacher (reprise) | Rose Alvarez |
| Rosie | Albert Peterson and Rose Alvarez |
| Finale |
* not included in some scripts
Original Cast
| Albert Peterson | Dick Van Dyke |
| Rose Alvarez | Chita Rivera |
| Conrad Birdie | Dick Gautier |
| Kim MacAfee | Susan Watson |
| Mr. MacAfee | Paul Lynde |
| Mrs. MacAfee | Marijane Maricle |
| Randolph MacAfee | Johnny Broden |
| Ursula Merkle | Barbara Doherty |
External links
- IMDb Page on Bye Bye Birdie (1963) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056891/)
- IMDb Page on Bye Bye Birdie (1995) (TV) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112605/)