Bye Bye Birdie Cast Readies for Weekend Show

Submitted release 

The clothes and the music from the 1950s may have changed, but today’s teenagers rehearsing for Canton High School’s production of Bye Bye Birdie are finding teenagers haven’t changed all that much in the last half century.

The satire is a perennial favorite with high school theater programs, so Stage and Musical Director Brett Gottheimer and the directorial team strove to be true to the show while making it their own.

“I think there does need to be some respect for the tradition of a show like this. It has stuck around for a reason,” Gottheimer said. “However, the individual performances of the students, musical and choreography choices, and the visuals of our very abstract sets will certainly provide a unique experience.”

Like two shows in one, the show poses musical challenges.  First, there is a 50s, Elvis-style rock element for all the songs sung by the Elvis-like character, Conrad Birdie. But the rest of the show contains more traditional Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin style music, said Diana Lawler, co-musical director.

With the campy musical style and the teenage girls swooning over the rock idol, it’s a feel-good, high-energy show. At the same time, like teenagers of every generation, the characters face the struggles inherent with growing up and breaking away from their parents.

“As the cast and crew has gone through rehearsals, we have found some interesting relevance to current times,” Gottheimer said. “The transition from childhood to adolescence is present in both the characters individually, and the overall story as a whole, as America was swept from the Post-World War II/big band world into the rock ’n roll/Cold War era.”

That’s reflected in the music and in one-liners about Conrad Birdie going off to war that seem like throw-away lines at first glance, he said, but reflect the tradition that the United States always has a new enemy to send its citizens off to war to fight.

But mostly, audiences can expect a colorful show with over-the-top visuals.

“While the songs and dialogue must be performed as written, we have much flexibility with the other designs, such as sets, lighting, etc.,” said Ken Jones, technical director. 

The 12-student technical crew includes some veteran members with strong creative and technical skills. “We are taking a far less literal approach for our production than is traditionally done, while still honoring the story and the time period.”

Another challenge and opportunity is the fact that this show requires a larger-than-usual musical pit band. Of the 15 musicians playing in the pit, about half are students and half are professionals.

Pit musicians have to be able to read music well and perform challenging music, Lawler said.

“You’re more exposed when you’re playing in a pit because there are fewer instruments than in a high school band,” she said. “It’s a bit of a challenge to learn to play the notes themselves and to learn to play in a pit when you are accompanying singers.”

When picking a show, Gottheimer said he and the other directors ask themselves whether they can cast it and whether the cast and crew can pull it off in a way that’s true to the show with minimal compromises. They look for shows that include an ensemble so that everyone who auditions gets a role.

“And finally, is this something musically and artistically we want to work on for so many days a week for so many months,” he said. “This show allowed us to cast many leads and many supporting roles, while also supporting a very active ensemble. Since we want everyone to have as much stage time as possible, this show was ideal.”

The Canton High School Musical Theater presents Bye Bye Birdie March 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and March 24 at 2 p.m. Tickets: $12, adults; $8, students and seniors. To order, call 860-693-7707 or online at www.birdie.cantonmusic.org