BYE BYE BIRDIE

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 9:58pm

I saw BYE BYE BIRDIE at Encores! this afternoon and had a great time!

It's been many years since I've seen this show and I'd forgotten how really good it is. The first act moved along beautifully and it came as a small shock when they started singing "You've Gotta Be Sincere" which indicated that the act was almost finished. Most of the cast really didn't need the scripts they were carrying, but they had to do so by Equity contract.

Daniel Jenkins was a fine Albert Peterson (but I still would have liked to have seen Eric McCormack in the role!) and Karen Ziemba was marvelous as Rosie. Her dancing was superb and the "Shriner's Ballet" was almost exactly as Gower Champion originally staged it. It was clever and extremely well-danced.
The same has to be said of "The Telephone Hour". With a minimum of movement, the number was incredibly exhilerating.

Doris Roberts played Mae Peterson with the same characterization she uses on "Everybody Loves Raymond" but it worked. She was very effective in the role, but in a few instances she lost laughs because she is used to having a mic "lift" her. In other words, she garbled her punchlines. However, these were just a few instances. (I think this is a role I'd like to play at some point--and I see no reason why a male couldn't pull it off!)

I enjoyed the rest of the cast and Jessica Grove' was a well-sung Kim. Walter Bobbie was an excellent Harry Peterson; almost completely breaking out of the Paul Lynde template that is part of the role. The fellow who played Conrad Birdie was also very good. His name escapes me at the moment.

At the Talk Back after the show, both Charles Adams and Lee Strauss were guests--as was Marge Champion, who assisted her then-husband in choreographing the original production. She said that the original title of the show was LET'S GO STEADY and that the part of Rosie was written for Carol Haney and was planned to be a Polish girl. Haney became ill and couldn't do the show and ultimately the part went to Chita Rivera and all the Polish jokes were changed to Spanish. "Put on a Happy Face" was originally a big production number for Dick Van Dyke, but it wasn't working as originally staged. It was Marge Champion who suggested moving the number to an earlier slot in the show and having Albert cheer up two little girls. Of course that's the way the number stays to this day.

Updated On: 5/8/04 at 09:58 PM

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 10:27pm

Wow---that's so interesting, that the part was written for Haney. That would have been pretty funny, with all the Polish jokes out there; it would have made it more campy, I think. I agree, Ziemba was pretty good, and Roberts did need to speak up. Nevertheless, she pulled it off marvelously.
Bob Gaynor played Conrad Birdie, and yes, he was quite good.

I am ALL FOR a revival of this show.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/9/04 at 2:38pm

Billy, did you realize that the set was all metalic silver? When the colored lights hit the various squares, it took on that great kaleidoscope look.

I wonder if gherbert saw the show? He was posting questions about it months ago.