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Bye Bye Birdie Opens at Owen
by Erin Carter
Josh Whitt as Birdie with his fans
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One last kiss isn't too much for a handsome, talented man to request before he goes off to war, is it? Only if the girl kissing him has a jealous steady boyfriend.
The apparently harmless request for that last kiss sets up the train of humorous situations played out in the musical comedy Bye Bye Birdie, which opens this weekend as Mars Hill College's first production of the season.
The show runs Thursday, October 9 through Sunday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, October 12 at 2:30 p.m. With a cast of 30 drama majors and a full backstage crew of ten, the whole department will be found in Owen Theatre.
"The play is set in the time of 50's bandstand with an Elvis character," says sophomore Auti Massey, who plays one of the main roles.
The Elvis character is Conrad Birdie (played by sophomore Josh Whitt), an all American teen idol who has been drafted into the army for two years. Before he leaves, a scheme is set up to promote his last single, "One Last Kiss." A girl is randomly chosen from his fan club to kiss Birdie goodbye. The chosen girl is Massey's character, 15-year-old Kim MacAfee, who lives in Sweet Apple, Ohio. "Her steady boyfriend gets jealous when he finds out," says Massey.
Jennifer Strand with Jason Aycock as Albert
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Junior Jason Aycock plays Birdie's publicist, Albert. "He is a scatterbrained music writer," says Aycock of his character. Albert wrote the single that Birdie sings, and his music company is seriously in debt from the publicity required to make Birdie a star.
Albert's secretary and girlfriend, Rose, played by Jennifer Strand, is the one who comes up with the publicity scheme to get the company out of debt - the request for "One Last Kiss."
"Rose is a woman who is betrothed to Albert, but he is "betrothed" to his mother, says Strand. "He is a Moma's boy. Rosie is strong. I fell in love with Rosie and the show. She possesses something in her that I would hope to possess in myself. She is a fun person."
Jennifer Strand as Rosie
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Strand says that as a musical theatre major, she would like to be in all the shows.
Aycock says "it's a chance to entertain and work with amazing people. "Any type of theatre is a wonderful chance to entertain."
Bye Bye Birdie first became a hit when it opened April 14, 1960. The late Gower Champion, now one of the legends in the musical theatre, directed it and saw his vision come to life with such stars as Dick Van Dyke playing Albert, Chita Rivera as Rose, and Dick Gautier as the marvel of human genetics, Conrad Birdie.
| The Main Cast |
Jennifer Strand, junior
Josh Whitt, sophomore
Jason Aycock, junior
Kyle Mason, senior
Leigh Anne Spencer, junior
Auti Massey, sophomore
Jonathan Miller, sophomore
Rachel Shipley, junior
M.K. Lyerly, freshman
Bill Gregg, Director
Richard Seagle, Sets and Lights
Susan Sertain, Costumes
Dewitt Tipton, Music
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Rosie
Conrad Birdie
Albert
Mr. MacAfee
Mrs. MacAfee
Kim
Hugo
Ursula
Mrs. Peterson
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