author: Amanda N. Gunther
There’s music to play— places to go— people to see! Everything— at The Kennedy! (…Center for Performing Arts!) And that luscious, glorious 22-person orchestra is playing the sensational music of Bye Bye Birdie! appearing in The Eisenhower through June 15th 2024 as a part of the ‘Broadway Center Stage’ series at The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts! And you should definitely come see this refreshing revamp of this show; it’s brilliant, exuberant, and wholesome good fun for everyone! Directed by Marc Bruni, with Musical Direction by John Bell, and Choreography by Denis Jones, you’ll be doing loop de loops over this great production, packed with Broadway talent!
Centrally focused smack dab in the middle of the stage is the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra (under the direction of Jay Crowder, featuring— Matt Belzer, Ben Bokor, Keither Daudelin, and Chris Reardon on reeds; Chandra Cervantes on horn; Fred Irby III, Josh Kauffman, and Ken McGee on trumpet; Aaron Eckert and Jake Kraft on trombone; Jim Roberts on guitar/banjo; Joe Connell on drums; Chris Barrick on percussion; Sonya Chung, Christine Constantinescu, Sonya Hayes, Anne Donaldson, and Chaerim Smith on violin; Andrew Rammon and Kerry Van Laanen on cello; Paul Henry on bass; Danny Percefull on keyboard) and they bring the musical to vivacious life as equally as the singing performers do. Both the Overture and Entr’acte are stellar sound baths of glossy medleys that welcome the audience both to the performance and back from the intermission; you get a glorious series of those string instruments playing luscious sounds during the “Happy Face” segment of the Overture that is simply divine. It’s wonderful to hear and to see (as the pit is generally concealed during a grand-scale musical production) to see all of these concert orchestral members live and actively contributing to the production.
The visual concept for this production of Bye Bye Birdie, which fits flawlessly into the show’s 50’s setting, is a cumulative effort on behalf of Scenic Designer Lee Savage, Lighting Designer Cory Patak, and Projection Designer Nathan Scheuer. With the multi-tiered orchestral step-staging dominating the majority of the play space on the stage, Savage and Scheuer get creative with scenery and projections to let you know that you’re in Sweet Apple, Ohio— “The Bellybutton of America.” Clever drop-down signs with lighting show the train station or Maude’s bar and some beautiful sweeping projections across the backdrop shift you from inside the MacAfee household to other pertinent places in town. Framing the stage are art-deco style rectangles, that light up with the colors of the time, matching moods of the songs (and more patriotic flares of red, white, and blue when the number calls for it) and you’ve got a solid 50’s groove happening on stage. There’s even an enormous antique television projected onto the back for both the “Ed Sullivan Show” moments and the ‘ending credits’ which pay homage to the splashier movie-musicals from that era.
Complimenting the stunning work of Savage, Patak, and Scheuer is the sartorial selection of the show, fabricated to life by Costume Designer Linda Cho. You get tones of vibrant, deeply saturated jewel toned pedal-pusher pants and floral print midriff tops for the Sweet Apple Teens as well as fancier dresses for those teens when the scenes call for it. Cho goes to great lengths to give Conrad Birdie more of a James Brown vibe over the more traditional Elvis couture and even manages to pay homage to the late Chita Rivera in the costume pieces used on Rosie Alvarez. You get a brighter, more sensationalized vision of the 1950’s in small-town, teen-rock-obsessed America from Cho’s wardrobe design and its perfect for the indefatigable enthusiasm rolling off the stage in waves all throughout the performance.
The brilliance of Director Marc Bruni is in the slight adjustments made to the libretto and lyrics to course-correct (without overbearing or going to far in doing so) some of the less than savory lines and story-threads that are no longer palatable in today’s society. Bruni’s adjustments doesn’t derail the fun, slightly campy story of the original source material but also gives it a new life without feeling like he’s tried to re-invent the wheel; it’s refreshing and enjoyable in its current presentation. Shifting the Conrad Birdie character to be more influenced by James Brown, David Ruffin, and Little Richard (as opposed to the ‘modeled off Elvis’ from the original) works well with the casting choice of Ephraim Sykes (whose previous Broadway credits actually include David Ruffin from Ain’t Too Proud), and allowing for the silly and but sappy dynamic of Rosie and Albert’s on-again-off-again love story reminds audiences everywhere how easy it is to fall in love with and enjoy big splashy, ‘old school’ Broadway musicals. Bruni’s vision for the production is ‘Utopian 1950’s America’ where racial and sexual prejudice are non-existent; this is reflected well in the casting and in the subtle nods to having Harvey Johnson (played with all of the adorable dorkiness in the world by Victor De Paula Rocha) clinging onto Birdie’s legs the same as the screaming fan-girl teens at the end of “A Lot of Livin’ To Do.”
What never ceases to amaze at a ‘Broadway Center Stage’ production is the show’s impressive choreography and the work of Denis Jones for Bye Bye Birdie is no exception to that; it’s action-packed, fun-filled, and totally working the jive of the era. Particularly when it comes to all those Sweet Apple Teens (Jackera Davis, Miguel Gil, Sarah Chiu, Dori Waymer, Kelly Lomonte, Jalen Michael Jones, Luke Kolbe Mannikus, Maria Cristina Posada Slye, Victor De Paula Rocha, Renell Taylor, Evan Kinnane) they are gliding, sliding, sweeping, spinning, and swinging all around, particularly during “A Lot of Livin’ to Do”, the company finale and “The Telephone Hour”, which features the most clever use of telephone cords clipped to the backs of shirts and tops, and then passed with their receivers all up and down the lines of teens, used as jump-ropes, and made a full part of the dancing delight of this number. Shout-out to Megan Sikora, as Gloria Rasputin, for her debonaire dance moves when she’s being ‘shown off’ to Albert; her tap and split is smashing! And the cartwheeling teens in “A Lot of Livin’ To Do” as well as “Put On a Happy Face” are just aces, particularly when Albert Peterson (Christian Borle) spins his hands around like he’s going to do it with them in ‘Happy Face’ but then just smirks all cheeky-like from between the pair of them. The Sweet Apple Teen youngsters are dancing with such energy and enthusiasm they’re blazing all over the stage. And an extra special nod of praise to Sarah Chiu, playing ‘Helen’ as she gets the featured ‘Sad Girl’ dance opposite Albert Peterson during “Put On a Happy Face.” Watching Chiu mimic steps with Christian Borle whilst grimacing a perpetual frown is such a delight it’s a wonder she doesn’t crack a smile much sooner!
A strong ensemble, featuring the aforementioned teens and The Sweet Apple Adults (Kevin Ligon as Mayor, Allison Blackwell as Mayor’s wife— who faints hysterically and twice to boot during “Sincere”— Linda Mugleston as Mrs. Merkle, Kevin McAllister as Mr. Merkle, and Megan Sikora as Mrs. Johnson) really keeps the waves of energetic effervescence flowing out into the audience, engaging theatergoers of all ages with everything fun that’s happening on stage. Keep you eye son Kevin McAllister, who shows up as Charles F. Maude in the bar-scene, where he spends a great deal of time trying to throttle Hugo F. Peabody (Miguel Gil) out of the place and then turns his impressed attentions to the sassy, brassy Rosie as she kicks up her heels for the “Spanish Rose” number inside his establishment. Gil, as the lovestruck, recently-pinned, teenaged-maybe-man Hugo, is quite charming during all of his staged interactions, no matter how brief. Watching him chatter his way through trying to get some alcohol in that scene is hilariously aces.
When it comes to the MacAfee family, you’ve got the adorable Hery Kirk as Randolph, who finds himself with a much larger singing part in “Kids (Reprise)” than one might expect, and he holds his own against performing titan Richard Kind, who plays Mr. Harry MacAfee. Kind, who is the living embodiment of a befuddled 50’s father, has flawless comic timing, exquisite facial expressions, and body language that is just perfect for the role. It almost makes you wish his character had interactions with the Mrs. Mae Peterson (Caroline Aaron) character because the pair of them would be a real scream. Kind gets to play opposite Jennifer Laura Thompson (Mrs. Doris MacAfee) and the pair are perfect in the initial round of “Kids”, a song that gripes its way through all of the problems with “kids these days.”
In the overly-comedic-caricature role of Mrs. Mae Peterson, Caroline Aaron is channeling every overbearing mother that ever was and ever will be, with equally flawless comedic timing, as well as a hint of gruff-Bea-Arthur in her vocality. Her interactions with Albert Peterson have the audience in stitches and even though she doesn’t get a song (“A Mother Doesn’t Matter Anymore” seems to be a ‘mandala effect’ number that was only ever in the movie despite numerous beliefs to the contrary) she earns her multiple rounds of ovations upon both first-scene arrival and at curtain call for all of her comedic antics and shenanigans.
With a winsome voice, stellar soprano sound, and ultimately sweet disposition, little Kim MacAfee (Ashlyn Maddox) fits the bill for the ‘Sweet Apple Teen’ who thinks she’s ready to be a woman. When she sings “How Lovely to Be a Woman”, early in the first act you get that superb soprano sound just soaring with ease through those notes, confident and clear as he extrapolates the major difference between a girl of 15 and a woman of 16. Maddox finds the serene and syrupy sweetness that is needed to make Hugo feel at ease during “One Boy” as well, and she’s got a fun edgy side to the character as well, featured when she’s trying to convince Conrad Birde, later in the second act, that she’s 26 or 27. Or 28.
Ephraim Sykes is channeling a drink-favoring, attention-loving James Brown-David Ruffin-Lil Richard in his dance moves, persona, and overall physical approach to the titular character of Conrad Birdie. “Sincere” and “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” are right in his vocal wheelhouse but see if you can’t catch Sykes popping some of that sensational contra-tenor sounds for which he is known into one of those numbers. And his dance moves are on point. Leading the charge and keeping up with every single step those youngsters are throwing at him during “A Lot of Livin’ to Do”, Sykes really holds his own in the iconic rock-star role, even if its being presented in a different vein than the original “Elvis” model.
Christian Borle and Krysta Rodriguez, as Albert Peterson and Rosie Alvarez respectively, are so perfect— so swell— so wondrously fantastic— it’s hard to remember that the roles weren’t written for or originated by them. While Rodriguez is bringing her own stupendous performance charms to the role, there’s a strong nod of homage to the late Chita Rivera (in more than just the way they dress and style her) and its perfectly balanced into her performance. Borle, who is full of genuine charm and silliness just slides into the awkwardly comedic nature of Albert Peterson as if he’s worn this second skin all his life. The pair of them together during “Rosie” near the show’s finale are just divine; watching them swivel around one another on the luggage cart, singing sweetly and swinging their feet is the lighthearted, chaste, happy-go-lucky chemistry and joy that theatergoers everywhere love the most and it readily reminds everyone why we all love musical theater so very much.
Borle, who is just as fleet on his feet as one could hope for in an Albert Peterson, is truly charming in an effortless and genial way; his smiles are radiant, albeit at times quirky and comical, his voice is well-conditioned for numbers like “Put On a Happy Face” and his physicality is wowee-impressive! There’s one particular scene where he ‘takes news’ from Mrs. Mae Peterson and it becomes a two-minute comedic bit of him silently trying to juggle the gravity of this news as if it were a physical object and it’s laugh-out-loud hysterical. His dancing is delightful, particularly when he’s soft-shoeing it around the train station with Sarah Chui and the ‘Sad Girls’ during “Put On a Happy Face” and the chemistry, volatile though it is at times, with Rosie feels so natural you can see how they end up with their perfect HEA in “Rosie.” There’s even a warm sincerity that percolates its way through “Baby, Talk to Me” when Borle stands stone still (almost an impossibility for him given how much movement he puts forth into the character for the rest of the performance) and croons with a pleading sympathy to his Rosie through the telephone.
As for Rodriguez, she is brass, sass, a whole lot of class, the whole shebang and then some, as it were when it comes to playing Rosie Alvarez. There is an entire ‘dream ballet’ (the likes of which feels like it belongs in a Rogers & Hammerstein show and yet somehow perfectly fits this production because of how exquisite and excellently Rodriguez executes the moves) at the end of “One Boy” where Rodriguez takes up a briefcase and performs a solo-dance-break-ballet-interpretive-routine that is just stunning. It accurately represents the way Albert has become Rosie’s personal baggage, all through her expressive, emotionally charged body language during the dance. Adding to her performable versatility, Rodriguez performs Olympic-grade vocal acrobatics from her opening bid in “An English Teacher” through to her half of the closing duet “Rosie” to showcase the emotional depth, grit, overall range, and honest skillset she possesses when it comes to singing the character of Rosie. You get a fine blend of her own personality mingled with a nod to the late Chita Rivera in “Spanish Rose” where she just dominates the stage as a true triple threat. Glowing every step of the way, Krysta Rodriguez is a stellar sensation as Rosie Alvarez and provides the perfect vessel for Christian Borle to drift along with all throughout the show.
Don’t wait to get your tickets— or you’ll be blue! And no amount of singing about putting on a happy face will fix your mood if you miss this wonderful production of Bye Bye Birdie in the Broadway Center Stage series at The Kennedy Center this June.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission
Bye, Bye, Birdie plays through June 15th 2024 as a part of the Broadway Center Stage series in the Eisenhower Theatre at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC. For tickets call the box office at (202) 467-4600 or purchase them online.
