Bye Bye Birdie (10/23) Review

[HBBrock]

Posted: 10/24/09 at 1:01pm

Saw it last night and really, really enjoyed it. It was light, it was fun, the music was great, the theatre was really nice and the place was packed. Yes, Stamos and Gershon were the weaker links of the cast....but all in all a really FUN show.

Allie Trimm was so good!

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 10/25/09 at 8:45am

I saw it the other night and was very disappointed.

The leads, Stamos and Gershon couldn't sing or dance. Irwin was creepy. The costumes were hideous garish. The kids were good, Matt Doyle was good and I thought Nolan Gerard Funk was adequate, which in this production is actually good.

I've seen high school productions of Birdie that were more light and entertaining, and more fun.

This birdie really laid an egg.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/25/09 at 9:15am

I saw this LAST Saturday. I can't say I was disappointed, because between word of mouth HERE and the professional reviews, I was expecting to want to shove hot forks in my eyes.

I thought it was....adequate. A horrid word, I realize, but that's about it. I didn't want my money back, nor will I spend another penny on it. My children, 9 & 12 enjoyed it, but it's not either of their 'favorite' show.

ACTING:
Stamos -- pick a character, but just one please. He seemed to be entirely different character in almost every scene, and I didn't care about any of them. His lack of dancing was sinful.

Gershon -- so missed the mark, but it wasn't that she wasn't trying. She lacked truth and lacked chemistry with Stamos. I only heard a few clunker notes, but didn't enjoy her singing.

Trimm -- sang prettily, but Kim was about as boring as watching bread toast.

Doyle -- a nice job, it was great to hear him sing on stage as well. But he was one of the only ones to "get" this style of musical theater.

Funk -- as most have said, not terrible, but not complete either. (I give him points for posing for pix with my dd at SD and totally thrilling her speechless. She is the envy of her middle school.)

Irwin -- Whaaaa? Had my son in stiches (he's nine and still laughs when you say "fart".), but I just scratched my head in disbelief with his choices.

Kids chorus -- loud and energetic, yes; but lacking depth and commitment to characters.

Houdyshell -- there was nothing charming about Albert's mom, she was just mean. We don't love her or feel for her at all -- and we should.

Of course, we should CARE about all of them....but I didn't.


When it comes down to it this is a bad mixture of total miscasting, but more tragically, HORRIBLE direction/choreography. A better equipped director could have overcome the poor choices in casting and (to quote Tim Gunn) made it work. This is BBB not Shakespeare. Even THIS cast SHOULD have made it shine.

I was entertained in spite of its flaws, in the same way you are entertained at decent HS theater. But GOOD HS theater could have been better than this...in fact, makes me sort of want to direct it next year. Hmmmmm...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 6:50am

At this very moment, 1995 tv movie version of Birdie is on Encore Love Channel.

Vastly superior to the current production at practically every turn.

I can't believe I'm saying this: but god bless George Wendt and Chynna Phillips--both really added so much to the movie.

The rest of the cast is stellar as well....and I had totally forgotten that Mark Kudish was Birdie!

[wildhornfan]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 5:47pm

Just came from bbb and it was terrible! I felt like I was watching a highschool production! To top it off, John Stamos whizzed past me at the stagedoor while I was waiting for an autograph!! It would be nice if he took some time with his fans! The kids in the production worked hard, but were not strong enough!
Overall, a very disappointing day!!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 5:53pm

Whether or not he gives you time at the SD has no bearing on the show. If you didn't like his performance...why would you care to see him at SD? And while it's none of our business...maybe he had somewhere to be, or he wasn't feeling well, or he had a hot date. The price of the ticket does not include time with the actors.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 5:53pm

Whether or not he gives you time at the SD has no bearing on the show. If you didn't like his performance...why would you care to see him at SD? And while it's none of our business...maybe he had somewhere to be, or he wasn't feeling well, or he had a hot date. The price of the ticket does not include time with the actors.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 6:28pm

I had totally forgotten that Mark Kudish was Birdie!

He was my first Birdie and has become the measuring stick for all future Birdies.

Just came from bbb and it was terrible! I felt like I was watching a highschool production!

Wow, you must have seen some pretty good high school productions.

To top it off, John Stamos whizzed past me at the stagedoor while I was waiting for an autograph!! It would be nice if he took some time with his fans!

The night I was there he signed for nearly everyone at the stage door. He skipped me but I doubt it was intentional. It was very crowded.

I saw this LAST Saturday. I can't say I was disappointed, because between word of mouth HERE and the professional reviews, I was expecting to want to shove hot forks in my eyes.

I felt the same way. I was SO sure I would hate it and I didn't.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 8:21pm

I saw this last Wednesday night (thanks to a free ticket) and I can't really describe how I felt about it. I didn't think it was good, however, I have more problems with the material than the production itself. I just don't like the book or most of the songs. I enjoyed the first act, but not the second act. All of it was just underwhelming.

On a better note, I really liked Nolan Funk and I actually enjoyed Gina Gershon (yes I'm being serious). Funk impressed me and I loved his voice. And Gina... well she can't sing or dance, but she had more presence than anyone else. Oh and Jayne Houdyshell stole every scene she was in, she was hilarious. All the other cast members were just "eh..." to me.

So overall, I didn't hate it or love it. I went in with low expectations and just tried to enjoy it as much as I could.


John Stamos also came out the SD when I saw it. He was very sweet and signed and took pictures with everyone and didn't rush at all. Granted, there weren’t many people there. It was a pleasure meeting him.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 8:21pm

Whoops, sorry - double post! Updated On: 11/1/09 at 08:21 PM

[justafan2]

Posted: 11/11/09 at 5:58pm

Legally_popular---I agree with you re: Nolan Funk. The show was so-so to me until he started singing "Sincere". I found myself smiling for the first time. I enjoyed Houdyshell's performance also. Gina had a good presence IMO----Overall, BBB was better than I'd expected---not the greatest show but not a calamity either. (I enjoyed the second act more than the first)