Bye Bye Birdie back on Broadway

[darkridedan]

I'm happy for the return of a production to Broadway after a 48 year absence. It stars John Stamos (ER, Full House,) Gina Gershon (Showgirls, Face-Off,) Nolan Gerard Funk (Spectacular!, X2,)  and Matt Doyle (Gossip Girl.) It's now in previews and opens October 15th.

Nolan Funk on Conrad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW3z8Z26uns#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

The story as described by the Cast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u-O_eK7JrE#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&border=1

The Box Office Opening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9QHEoOXDQE#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

They stuck in a love story! John Stamos introduces Broadway on Broadway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1zfquO6gNQ#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

Cast discuss the revival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBf2Pql49Xc#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

Composer Charles Strouse and Lyricist Lee Adams on creating the show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61DazRED2Yg#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&border=1

Prepared to hit the Great White Way (w/ video)
http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/104813/-bye--bye-birdie--prepares-for-return-to-the-great-white-way/Default.aspx

THE SYNOPSIS  (Tams-Witmark.com)

  BYE BYE BIRDIE is one of the most captivating musical shows of our time. BYE BYE BIRDIE is a satire done with the fondest affection. It gives an insight into the everyday life that is very much part of us all. It is the tops in imagination and frivolity; a show that will be enjoyed by the cast as much as the audience. tells the story of a rock and roll singer who is about to be inducted into the army. The singer, Conrad Birdie, an Elvis Presley type, has a pompadour and thick sideburns; he wears gaudy gold costumes and speaks in a rugged voice. Albert Peterson, his agent, is a very pleasant mild mannered young man. Albert's faithful secretary Rose Alvarez keeps him and Birdie moving forward in the world. Rosie concocts one final national publicity plan before Conrad's induction.
     Conrad will bid a typical American teen-age girl goodbye with an all-American kiss. Kim MacAfee in Sweet Apple, Ohio wins the honor. All of the phones in her town are already busy during The Telephone Hour as Kim has just been pinned to Hugo, a local boy. She is a pretty girl of fifteen and sings with springlike ardor How Lovely to Be a Woman, as she pulls on the plaid woolen socks and the baggy mustard colored sweater considered stylish and popular among young ladies.
     The arrival of Birdie in Sweet Apple causes people of all ages to swoon. Birdie says that his success is due to the fact that he is Honestly Sincere when he sings, and the quiet little town goes into a spin. The MacAfee household is completely upset by the visiting celebrity. It is decided that Birdie will give his One Last Kiss on the Ed Sullivan show. Kim's father who laments the whole uproar, tries to break into the act and behaves like a ham on the TV show. Hymn for a Sunday Evening is a salute to the greater glory of Ed Sullivan.
     Birdie becomes disgusted with his life and goes out on the town with the teenagers. He feels tense with Albert and is tired of being supervised. The parents of Sweet Apple cannot understand the new generation and express this in Kids. Rosie, still waiting for that band of gold from Albert after eight years, invades a Shriners' meeting. An extremely hilarious ballet ensues. She then decides to become the Latin American spitfire that she is painted as, by Albert's lead-footed catastrophe-ridden mother. She is determined to become Spanish Rose. Kim is reunited with Hugo, and Rose with Albert in the lovely number Rosie. Other hit numbers include A Lot of Livin' to Do and Put on a Happy Face.

     
If you're interested, they have a website: http://www.byebyebirdieonbroadway.com/home

[darkridedan]

Here's a new video from the Associated Press with John Stamos and Gina Gershon reflecting on the show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8n8GqVR6Kk#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&border=1

[WadeJ]

Well, looks like I'll be finding a way to bring my wife along on one of my many trips to the city soon .

[darkridedan]

I'm not sure if I'm up to seeing it myself Wade I think I'll stick with the $7 high school productions. Broadway has cut the Shriner's Ballet (that's at the climax of the show!!) and the Hundred Ways Ballet, which is always out anyway. Some of the newer songs from both movies are probably in. . I want to see the original with Dick Van D-y-k-e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMn-W_ZeSlY#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&
and Chita Rivera
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdOn4FvpWpE#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&
and Chita Rivera in The Shriner's Ballet... with a much abbreviated orchestra pit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZldWwNZMmc#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

Well, here's the Telephone Hour from GMA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsOvO8xo724#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

and Honestly Sincere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugdNJL5KrPM#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

...and a rare find, 100 Ways Ballet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx7mRS1UduE#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

[darkridedan]

Well, opening night has come and gone and it's been received with mixed to mixed-positive views:

They Can't Sing (Don't Ask Them)
By TERRY TEACHOUT

If you're looking for light entertainment, you can't get much lighter than "Bye Bye Birdie," a flyweight farce about the coming of rock 'n' roll to small-town America. The original production of this 1960 musical ran for 607 performances on Broadway, partly because Dick Van *HEHEHE* and Chita Rivera were so good in it and partly because the Charles Strouse-Lee Adams score was so immaculately crafted (it yielded up two enduring standards, "Put on a Happy Face" and "A Lot of Livin' to Do"). "Bye Bye Birdie" has since become a beloved staple of high-school and community theaters, but it hadn't returned to Broadway prior to the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival, in which John Stamos, lately of "ER" and "Full House," plays Al, the milksop manager of Conrad Birdie (Nolan Gerard Funk), an Elvis-like heartthrob who has just been drafted into the Army, much to the tearful dismay of his teenage fans.

Vast amounts of money and energy have been poured into this production, for the most part to winning effect. Robert Longbottom's brisk staging and clever choreography flow together seamlessly. The quick-change space-age sets, designed by Andrew Jackness, look as though they'd been swiped from the warehouse of a late-'60s TV variety show. Jonathan Tunick's new orchestrations evoke Nelson Riddle and Count Basie with smoothly swinging exactitude. The costumes are colorful, the chorus fabulous, the pit band hip.

So what's the catch? Just this: Only one of the stars can sing.

Fourteen-year-old Allie Trimm, who was by far the best thing about "13," is even better in "Bye Bye Birdie" as Kim, the president of the Sweet Apple chapter of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club. Her acting is charming and sweet, and though her voice is not yet fully formed, she already uses it with grace and skill. Not so her colleagues: Mr. Stamos couldn't carry a tune in a bucket with the lid welded on, and Gina Gershon, who plays his sexy secretary, isn't much closer to the mark. Mr. Funk is said to have been battling tonsillitis at the preview I saw, so I can't say whether he sounds better under normal circumstances, but what I heard last Sunday afternoon was far below Broadway standards. As for Bill Irwin, who plays Miss Trimm's father, his performance is impenetrably bizarre—I never did figure out what he thought he was doing up there—and he can't sing at all. Instead he emits disjunct honks and squeaks that make mincemeat out of Mr. Strouse's handsome melodies.

Needless to say, it long ago became common for musicals to be performed by accomplished actors who can also sing a little, but this is ridiculous. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Roundabout's revival of "Bye Bye Birdie" is the worst-sung musical I've ever seen on Broadway. If that prospect doesn't faze you, or if you're tone-deaf, then go with my blessing: Mr. Longbottom is an immensely gifted director-choreographer, and there's plenty to like about this production. I only wish it had been overdubbed.

This review is closer to what I'd been thinking from what I've seen so far:

NY Review: 'Bye Bye Birdie'
Roundabout Theatre Company at the Henry Miller's Theatre
Reviewed by Erik Haagensen
OCTOBER 15, 2009

As I settled into my seat in the nicely proportioned brand-new Henry Miller's Theatre, I felt a great sense of anticipation. Though "Bye Bye Birdie" is one of my favorite musical comedies, I have never seen a successful production. Now here was the show's first Broadway revival in nearly 50 years. Conductor David Holcenberg tore into that iconic overture, and all seemed right with the world: Jonathan Tunick's reduced orchestration lovingly preserved the essence of his mentor Robert "Red" Ginzler's brilliant original. Then the show happened, and my "Birdie" virginity remained sadly intact.

Director-choreographer Robert Longbottom's production seems calculated to decimate the material. Number after number implodes, whether due to clueless direction, fussy and unfocused choreography, or incompetent singing and dancing. Joke after joke dies on the vine. Longbottom appears not to understand that "Birdie" is a satire. It needs to be played within quotation marks. Its roots are in American vaudeville and the sketch comedy that book writer Michael Stewart and songwriters Charles Strouse and Lee Adams perfected creating Catskill revues. The outrageous one-liners and comically quick emotional reversals cannot be played naturalistically. When they are, as happens here (with one glaring exception), they die.
 
It doesn't help that this tale of drafted 1960s rock star Conrad Birdie causing hysteria in the nation's teenagers has been so ineptly cast. Stars John Stamos and Gina Gershon, as Conrad's manager Albert Petersen and Albert's secretary and long-time squeeze Rose Alvarez, are out of their skill sets. To begin, in roles built on the talents and personalities of Dick Van *HEHEHE* and Chita Rivera, they can't dance, which sends crucial numbers such as "Put on a Happy Face" and "Spanish Rose" right up the spout. He has a pleasant but thin voice with pitch problems. She's an actor who can stay on pitch but can't really sing. He plays Albert on a single note of geniality, which might work if he were hosting a game show. Gershon, so terrific in "Boeing-Boeing," seems bewildered as Rose. She knows the laughs are there but hasn't a clue how to get them. Their romantic chemistry is zip.
 
Nolan Gerard Funk's Birdie comes across as a refugee from a 1980s boy band and no older or more worldly than the kids who worship him. As Kim McAfee, the girl Conrad comes to Sweet Apple, Ohio to kiss goodbye on national TV, Allie Trimm, so good in "13," is bland. "Birdie" makes a comic statement on all its characters, including the teenagers. Trimm's Kim is just a sweet kid. Matt Doyle as Kim's steady, Hugo, and Brynn Williams as her best friend, Ursula, register as ingénues, which is unfortunate for supporting comic roles. Jake Evan Schwenke as Randolph, Kim's 10-year-old loudmouth brother, has been directed to be just an average kid, eviscerating the reason for his character's existence.
 
The supporting adults fare no better. Jayne Houdyshell as Albert's overbearing Jewish mother gets it but can't deliver it, because the production she's in can't contain it. Most of her one-liners disparaging her son's paramour get gasps instead of laughs. Dee Hoty is wasted in the small role of Mrs. McAfee. As her husband, Bill Irwin provides the above-mentioned exception to naturalism. His highly affected turn seems driven by the desperate desire not to be Paul Lynde, who memorably created the role. It's full of painfully quirky line readings and over-the-top physical antics that leave you wondering if Mr. McAfee has neurological problems.
 
Andrew Jackness' cheap-looking set built on sliding plastic panels places far too much confidence in the apposition of lateral and vertical movements. Gregg Barnes' color-coded costumes (each family has its own color) seem like a failed attempt to provide the stylization Longbottom's direction lacks. Ken Billington's professional lighting job is fine.
 
All I can say is, the great Stewart, Strouse, and Adams didn't deserve this.
   
 
Presented by Roundabout Theatre Company at the Henry Miller's Theatre, 124 W. 43rd St., NYC. Oct. 15–Jan. 10. Tue.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Wed., Sat., and Sun., 2 p.m. (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250, or www.telecharge.com. Casting by Jim Carnahan and Kate Boka.

One more, this from The Bergen Record heralds the score and songs as the key to the show's lasting appeal:

'Bye Bye Birdie' takes flight on Broadway
Thursday, October 15, 2009
BY ROBERT FELDBERG
THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER
   
A jolt of energy has been injected into the revival of “Bye Bye Birdie” that opened Thursday night at the new Henry Miller’s Theatre.

Nolan Gerard Funk adds spice to the Elvis-like Conrad Birdie.
The 1960 musical, cherished by all high school drama teachers, is more than slightly familiar. But director-choreographer Robert Longbottom has given it a fresh and shiny production that, while uneven, is pleasingly fast on its feet.

In particular, he’s created several irresistibly exuberant dance numbers, including one, for “A Lot of Livin’ to Do,” that brings a dangerous tinge of teenage sexual longing to a show that, for all its rock-and-roll atmosphere, is the soul of innocence.

If the show’s older-generation stars had the same musical-theater chops as its youngsters, it could have been a total treat.

As it is, Longbottom makes a mostly fun evening out of the tale of an Elvis-like rock idol about to enter the Army and the teenage girls who won’t let him go without a swoon.

Allie Trimm is very appealing, and sings prettily, as Kim MacAfee, the 15-year-old resident of Sweet Apple, Ohio, who’s chosen, in a publicity stunt, to receive Conrad Birdie’s last pre-service kiss.

Matt Doyle is likable and sympathetic as her jealous boyfriend, while the other kids, played by teenagers rather than chorus veterans, are natural and vivacious.

Nolan Gerard Funk, meanwhile, adds a bit of spice to Birdie, who’s usually a remote, vaguely drawn rock-and-roll menace to decent society.
Funk makes him distinctly unappetizing – wearing only Jockey shorts, he guzzles beer that runs slobbily down his body — heightening the joke of the mindless adoration of his young fans.

Longbottom’s plan for a swift and sparkling evening – the candy-colored outfits designed by Gregg Barnes are eye-catchers – is, unfortunately, sabotaged by his leads: John Stamos, who plays Albert, Birdie’s manager and songwriter; and Gina Gershon, portraying Rosie, Albert’s assistant.

While they sing passably, they can’t dance. And for a production that lives in its movement, that’s not good.

Rosie’s hot Shriners dance routine has been eliminated, while the usually charming “Put on a Happy Face” is muffed by Stamos.

That number, which has Albert cheering up a quartet of downcast teenagers, falls flat because Stamos’ “dancing” consists of a few beginner steps. Instead of leading the way, he blends awkwardly into the ensemble.

The Albert-Rosie love story, never convincing, is particularly feeble here.

Albert, who can’t make a commitment because he’s under the thumb of his passive-aggressive mother, is played by Stamos as an especially exasperating twit. Since Rosie is smart and independent, and, in the shape of Gershon, a bombshell, her willingness to tolerate him raises questions about her mental state.
Also turning out badly, for the most part, was the choice of the normally marvelous clown Bill Irwin to play Kim’s uptight father, whose irritation at his house being invaded by Birdie and entourage turns to awe when he learns the “last kiss” will be televised, from his home, on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Irwin’s portrayal is a parody of a cartoon, as he communicates in a variety of voices, including, strangely, a choked, William Buckley-style patrician drawl.

His excessively mannered performance of “Kids” makes you long for the honeyed voice of Paul Lynde.

Longbottom makes a miscalculation, as well, in pumping up Irwin’s physical antics – although some are quite funny — for the first-act curtain number, the live telecast of the Sullivan show.

The scene becomes busy, unfocused and blows its big dramatic moment.

One grown-up who comes off well is Jayne Houdyshell, portraying Albert’s morbidly self-sacrificing mother. It’s a great comic part, and Houdyshell plays it to perfection.

Even in a mixed-bag “Birdie,’ what shines through are the Charles Strouse-Lee Adams songs, which also include “One Boy,” “One Last Kiss,” “Baby, Talk to Me,” “Honestly Sincere,” “Rosie” and the title song (written for the movie version). They make it clear that the easy-to-like score has always been one of the keys to the show’s enduring appeal.

E-mail: feldberg@northjersey.com

More reviews can be found at Broadwayworld.com
http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=1005652&dt=48&boardid=1

[darkridedan]

Even though the reviews are mixed, I'm leaning towards seeing it.

Some opening night interviews with the stars who came out to see the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32cs8Z65p7Y#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&
(and that crappy tune from the movie at the end)

The cast describes it as a heart show from a simpler time, a slice of Americana with something optimistic for kids and adults.
And many praise to Charles Strouse for the score. Here are more clips from previews:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR-Nmy6fxDI#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfiGhGSXRzA#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

[nitrorox1414]

Should I be exited

[darkridedan]

You may want to exit during the second act when the lead female character gets back with the male lead without help from some bumping and grinding by the local Shriners.

It's a fun play with lots of twists in the plot, much akin to the 'invasion of a small town' pictures of the '60's. This musical is of its time with pop culture references-a-plenty and it's a great parody of the lifestyle of the late '50's. According to reviews, this production seems to fall flat in poking fun of the teens and of it's over-sexed star, Conrad Birdie. However, the director wasn't looking for a cynical view of the piece as some productions tend to get carried away with it, even though it's all in fun.

[darkridedan]

To continue my tradition of double posting, I'm adding a classic scene from the original production, captured on The Ed Sullivan Show, of all places...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzWnJmV4V_8#noexternalembed&hl=en&fs=1&

[CatMeares]

Hmmmm.is it true that only one cast member can sing???  We are going to buy tickets for a few shows in January and wanted to see ByeByeBirdie.  On the other hand, don't want to waste our money if the singing is sub-par.  Anyone have any first hand reviews?