A Very Birdie Musical

I saw Bye Bye Birdie with my mom, aunt and grandma last night at the Muny.  It was such a cute musical.  I had no idea what it was about, and in case you don't I'll fill ya in:  Conrad Birdie (an Elvis-like pop star) has been drafted into the army.  His agent, Albert, and Albert's secretary/sort-girlfriend, Rose, get the idea to do one last stunt before he goes into the army - a farewell kiss.  A random girl is chosen to be the lucky kissee, Kim, and her town is turned upside down when Birdie and his hotness come to town.



And let me tell ya, Conrad was pretty hot.  And he had a great voice.  As one of the songs goes... We love you Conrad, oh yes, we do, we love you Conrad and we'll be true...  In one of the scenes he walked around the stage in boxers.  An excellent decision.

I also thought Kim had a great voice.

But the real meat of  the story was about Albert and Rose finally getting together.  And his mother getting in the way.  Which would have been fine and interesting enough for me, except I didn't like either one of them (acting-wise).  Rose flubbed more than three of her lines and was really not that great of a singer.  Since she was supposed to be the leading lady, I was disappointed with the casting.  Also, I thought the casting for Albert  was off.  This old guy played him (actually the same guy who played Scuttle in The Little Mermaid I saw earlier this summer)  when the character is supposed to be 33.  Eh.  Really?  He was fine for doing the slapstick comedy of Scuttle, but I didn't think he carried this play very well.  He was funny in some parts, but I just found him kind of annoying after a while.

My favorite number was when the whole town shows up to meet Conrad when he first rolls into town.  He starts singing and gyrating (very Elvis) and all the women (young and old) swoon over his antics.  Oh so hilarious.  When I was doing musicals in high school my dad said we really could have some fun with this one, and I kinda wish we had put it on when I was there.

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In other news, the guy who runs the Muny is retiring and this season was his last.  He came out (as he always does before each showing of the last production of the season, which this one was)  and sang a song, saying farewell.  He told a story, that when he first got there and ran his first season twenty-two years ago, he thought as he looked at the stage (which has some oak trees growing in it) and the 11,000 seats (with the last 9 rows always free), oh I'll just do one summer.  And then letters came in, saying how good a job he was doing, how they liked the Muny so much, how he should keep doing what he was doing.  So he stayed.  It's weird, he's been working at the Muny for as long as I've been alive.  I don't know how many shows I've seen there, but I know, it is by far the theater that I have been to the most.

I hope with his leaving that the Muny doesn't change too much.  I love going there and sweating it out to see a fabulous show outside during summer, or like last night, be blessed enough to have a comfortable night under the stars while watching some sing and dance.