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Conrad Birdie (Landon Dufrene) is surrounded by his fans in Prince William Little Theatre's current production, Bye Bye Birdie. On his right leg is Ursula Merkle (Clare Baker) and on his left, the mayor's wife (Tina Mullins) whom the mayor (Don Wilson) tries to unhitch. At the rear is Albert Peterson, Conrad's agent (Josh Wilson), and hidden is Rosie, Albert's "fiancee" (Holly McDade). Photo by David Harback.
Now I know why the pleasurable memory
of Bye Bye Birdie that I saw way back in high school in Danville,
Virginia has stuck with me over the years. It’s so entertaining!
The newest local rendition is on stage
now in Manassas, gleefully performed by members of the Prince William Little Theatre who have as good a time putting on the show as the audience who watches
the dancing and hears the Fab 50s songs of Conrad Birdie (Landon Dufrene)
and his many fans.
Conrad’s story parallels that of a big
1950s star, one Elvis Presley when he was drafted in the Army, and Conrad is
drafted, too! We hate to see him go.
The show starts out a little slow before
it picks up steam and starts rocking to the tunes of Conrad's agent (Josh
Wilson as Albert Peterson) and his wannabe wife (Holly McDade).
The most enjoyable songs are the group
harmonies (Put On a Happy Face, Kids, Ed Sullivan, One Last Kiss, One Boy, A
Lot of Livin’ To Do, Baby, Talk to Me) and a short solo by Danny Waldman who
plays Hugo Peabody, the boyfriend of a starstruck teen (Kim MacAfee played by
Megan Griggs).
Favorite actors are Dave Ermlick as Mr.
MacAfee, Kim's father whose acting takes lift once he quits his silence and
sulking “in his chair” to become a man frightened by current events.
Without uttering a word, the mayor’s
wife (Tina Mullins) captures attention in one of many large group scenes with her
polka dots and her “falls” for Conrad, amidst all the screaming teens. (The large
cast of 39 increases audience pleasure.)
Jonathan Faircloth has multiple roles, but
he and partner Katy Chumura's dancing stands out, noticeably because they are quite the professionals with genuine smiles and steps right in sync.
But, without question, the show
stopper, the scene stealer, is the mother of mothers, Susy Moorstein, perfect as the nagging parent, always dressed in a long
fur coat, white gloves, black hat, old woman’s purse, and 1950s pointed glasses.
She’s a riot.
Albert's mother (Susy Moorstein) and Albert (Josh Wilson) ponder relationships in Prince William Little Theatre's Bye Bye Birdie. Photo by David Harback
Theatergoers are so happy when she
waddles back on stage time and time again to wave and make snide comments,
mostly about her son’s girlfriend, but to also beckon pity for a poor mother, as in “When you get back, can you stop by
the kitchen and take my head out of the oven?”
For the play the simple set of neon backdrops fits
the times and was adequate.
Tucked away on an upper level beside
the stacked audience, an orchestra adds immensely to the show with music
that suggests more than four pieces (Meredyth Stirling, piano; William
Schillinger, guitar; Marie Juliano, percussion, and Theresa Arnold, bass).
What makes the production all the more
charming are a couple of miscues: The phone rings while Kim is talking on it
and her mother (Danica Shook who also acts as choreographer) is exiting the stage. Mother doesn't miss a beat and turns around
and flashes an irritated look: “What’s that?”
In another scene, the lights went out
for a few seconds in the middle of dialogue, but no one was affected. The
microphones worked sporadically.
What is awkward is the too large
multi-stepped wooden platform which performers constantly struggled to move
between scenes, under the lights. (The only scene changes without dimmed lights were accompanied by a crash or two.) Direction got mixed up for one scene (probably more),
and the platform had to be moved again, taking more time than usual and stretching
the performance to almost three hours with one intermission.
The evocative costumes were designed by Ms. Moorstein, a stage star for more than 29 years.
Don Petersen directed, and Melissa Jo York-Tilley produced.
Why sit home when you can get out,
support the arts, and exit happy, made possible by the crew of
the Prince William Little Theatre? It's
a night for laughter. Enjoy!
What: Bye
Bye Birdie
When: July 27, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; July 28, 2 p.m.
Where: The
Gregory Family Theatre of the Hylton Performing Arts Center, George Mason
University, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Virginia
Duration:
About two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission
How much: $20 for adults and $16 for seniors and
students and groups of ten and more.
For information:
703-993-7759 or 888-945-2468 (for tickets, or save $ and buy tickets at the box office. Call ahead to see if seats are available.)
Language:
Nothing objectionable. Take the family!
patricialesli@gmail.com
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