The Kennedy Center continues their 2024 season of their incomparable Broadway Center Stage series with a production that has some special meaning to the series, the organization, and its fans. Originally scheduled to premiere April of 2020, Bye Bye Birdie was infamously shut down before it even started as an early victim of the Covid pandemic. A year and a half of closures, a year of planning to get back on track, and a stellar year of reemergence later, the beloved musical debuts as the middle show of this current season, with a new cast and creative team, and what an impressive bow it finally takes. If this production demonstrates anything, it confirms that everything happens for a reason. Taking absolutely nothing from the big named, comic heavy-hitters scheduled for the original 2020 engagement, the perfection on stage at the Kennedy Center this week is exactly what this somewhat dated chestnut of a show needs and deserves. I honestly can’t fathom a better production or cast today.
For a show that has gained its biggest notoriety as a staple of high school musicals for decades demonstrates that it’s familiar score (music by Chrales Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, who also went on to give us Annie and Applause) is a virtual hit parade of 60s classics that in retrospect have given Bye Bye Birdie the status of being the first actual rock musical, even though the songs were composed as parodies of Elvis Presley and other the sounds of the day—several years before Hair, a decade before Jesus Christ Superstar and a lifetime before Rent (sorry, rabid Rentheads who still want to insist they invented the artform). Originally commissioned to be a generic teen musical, it underwent various changes in story and structure until providence dropped inspiration from the headlines when Elvis Presley was drafted. The resulting show was a fun parody of rockstar antics, teen fan idolization, small town Americana, generational trauma, and familial dynamics. With expert musical direction by John Bell and impeccable execution by the talented and diverse cast, the production floats on the buoyancy of the energetic score and a few smart edits to update and tighten Michael Stewart’s comic book. Under the masterful direction of Broadway Center Stage regular Marc Bruni (The Music Man, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Broadway’s Beautiful), the evening is a valentine to all the above that floats along the engaging performances he has cultivated from his effervescent cast.
The cast turns out to be a dream, headlined by returning Tony Winner Christian Borle (Legally Blonde, Something Rotten, Broadway Center Stage’s Tommy) as the harried songwriter/manager Albert Peterson who is constantly pulled in opposing directions by his longtime fiancée, his overbearing mother, and his wild card superstar client. The character of Peterson caters to all Borle’s strong suits, giving him ample room to show off his abilities as a song and dance man while at the same time providing multiple opportunities to draw on his impressive gifts for physical comedy. Borle has always exceled in likeable roles, and the congenial put-upon people pleaser Albert is one of his best to date. He pays great tribute to the legacy of original Albert Dick Van Dyne with his limber dance moves and everyman amiability, while adding a contemporary layer of his own comic sensibilities and charms to his very engaging performance.
As Rosie Alvarez, Albert’s incredibly patient, long-suffering fiancée, who makes it clear in her soft-opening number “An English Teacher” that she’s waited “eight long years” for him to break his ties to his pushy mother and honor his promise to marry her, Krysta Rodriguez (The Addams Family, Into the Woods, TV’s Smash, Halston) has arrived as a bona fide leading lady. Taking on the legendary Chita Rivera’s memory of a role written for her exceptional talents (a Kennedy Center Honoree, BCS has dedicated this performance to Rivera), Rodriguez graduates from pop Broadway diva to triple threat star. Performing in over a third of the show’s musical numbers, including showcase spots like “An English Teacher”, her briefcase ballet portion of “One Special Boy”, and the 11:00 slap in the face to everyone who has crossed her so far, “Spanish Rose”, Rodriguez is one of the most melodic Rosies to every handle the score (previous revivals have featured dancers who sing, such as Anne Reinking, Lenore Nemetz, and Gina Gershon, who I’m unsure was either) Rodriguez effortlessly belts the familiar tunes while also being asked to execute the fluid choreography that was built into the role for Rivera, and simultaneously being a comic force to contend with the masterful Borle. Rodriguez is the revelation in this big name cast of big Broadway and Hollywood names, and the best reason to see the show, if one is needed.
Ashlyn Maddox (Parade) is perfectly cast as the ingenue at the center of the madness, Kim MacAfee of Sweetwater, Ohio (the role that launched Ann-Margret into superstardom in the 1963 film adaptation). While most productions distance themselves from Ann-Margret’s sex kitten persona because who can compete (and the character is supposed to be 16), Director Bruni and designers Linda Cho (costumes) and Tom Watson (hair and wigs) lean into channeling Ann-Margret so Maddox doesn’t have to. With her sweet voice and Ivory girl beauty, she takes a standard ingenue role and elevates her to an engaging equal to her big name costars. Written as little more than a plot device, Maddox adapts Kim as the story demands of her as an actress. She gets her star turn at the curtain call, when they allow her to deliver her version of the title song composed for Ann-Margret for the movie, and it is worth the wait.
No longer content to settle for just major Broadway stars, Broadway Center Stage is also famous for tapping major Hollywood talent for their casting needs (major coups in the past have included Josh Radnor for Little Shop of Horrors, Michael Urie for How to Succeed in Business and Spamalot, and Rosie O’Donnell for The Music Man). To fill comic legend Paul Lynde’s shoes as Kim’s beleaguered father Harry MacAfee, no more perfect contemporary casting could be asked for than ubiquitous TV comedian Richard Kind (Only Murders in the Building, Spin City, Mad About You). Kind possesses one of those perfect-for-comedy rubber faces that can flex to fit any emotion and aid his masterful ability to milk any line for all its comic potential. Kind fluidly moves between exasperation, concern, and attempting to maintain any sense of control he’s already lost and steals pretty much any scene he’s in. He makes Harry’s two numbers, his Act 1 ode to Ed Sullivan, “Hymn for a Sunday Evening”, and his Act 2 comic lament “Kids”, showcases for a masterclass in musical comedy.
As Mae Peterson, Albert’s mother of all smothering mothers who ever created mama’s boys, Caroline Aaron (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 21 and 22 Jump Street) gets huge laughs as she multiplies her stock meddling Jewish mother persona exponentially. Ever suffering, ever present, and ever resentful of Rose Alvarez who threatens to steal her son from her, Aaron hysterically takes a character trope and breathes new fun into her.
Ephraim Sykes as Elvis stand-in Conrad Birdie suffers a little bit from interpretation. A Tony Nominee for his performance as David Ruffin in Ain’t Too Proud, he obviously understands the era and the music and the performance style, but he seems directed to be more of a James Brown type than Presley. And while Brown was indeed a superstar, he was never the mania-provoking, panty-dropping, heart-palpitating, faint-inducing teen idol that Elvis was (Brown was usually the one who did the fainting). Sykes is a charismatic performer and carries off the temperamental to rude behavior of the rock god with clay feet, but there are entire numbers built around the adolescent idolization of Birdie’s throngs of fans that were definitely parodies of the nubile fandom—this Conrad also ignites several of the town boys’ blossoming libidos—that to distance the character from Elvis is the one decision that initially felt untrue to the piece. However, early press interviews allude to the fact that they wanted Sykes to pay homage to the African-American predecessors who influenced Elvis as much as Elvis, and there is also the present day philosophy that a grown man employing Elvis’ blatant sexual charm on an audience of adulating teens rings of inappropriateness today. An audience member who didn’t know the piece didn’t miss the Presley parallels, so maybe they’re not that critical. Fortunately, the numbers possessed all the ensemble stage energy to carry them and regardless of Birdie’s characterization, and Sykes was charismatic in his own way at the center of them.
In smaller roles, Henry Kirk as Kim’s bothersome younger brother Randolph, desperate for his father’s attention in the midst of his sister’s teeny-bopper madness, achieves an easily-overlooked accomplishment for his age—he’s competing in all his scenes with his scenery chewing father, Kind, and still stands out. A sweet Miguel Gil (Kimberly Akimbo) as Kim’s short-suffering, hours-old boyfriend and vessel of young male angst Hugo Peabody is an adorkable, charming casting choice, suffering from self-comparisons now to his “rival” for her affection, the megastar Conrad Birdie. Gil shows off his unexpected comic skills in a latter scene where his baby face is just trying to get drunk, if he can only get served a drink. Victor de Paula Rocha also milks every laugh out of the cameo role of lovable loser Harvey Johnson, who spends the entire “Telephone Hour” desperate for a girl to notice him. But he makes the significantly more appreciative audience notice him in the dance numbers as the arrival of rock and roll in Sweet Apple awakens even Harvey’s energy.
Technically, the production values are more of the superlative efforts Broadway Center Stage has spoiled us with. Providing a lesson the New York spendthrifts could profit form, they have developed a two-dimensional way of enhancing a third dimensional set for a fraction of the cost. Scenic Designer Lee Savage and Projection Designer Nathan Scheuer provide the expected one-two punch to cleverly delineate every setting, internal and external, and sometimes transitioning between the two like in the fluidly staged “A Lot of Livin’ to Do”, where Conrad and Kim sneak from the MacAfee house to outside the house to a dive bar as other teens join them along the way. The base set is a clever frame of lit rectangles that live neutrally in a 50s kitchen era palette of aqua, peach, apricot, and teal but change to brighter primary colors when the teen energy takes center stage, or fiery reds, oranges, and pinks when Rosie is the star. But their best triumph is the Ed Sullivan section utilizing a massive TV amidst the décor featuring Harry’s fantasy of being on the Sullivan show. They recreate this segment in the “Bye Bye Birdie” finale to give the cast credits like a TV show, and a final tribute to the legendary Chita Rivera for the evening.
Costume Designer Linda Cho, with an assist from Tom Watson’s hair and wigs, has all the right styles and shades for the era and the characters. Pedal pushers, pastel skirts, and plaid button downs for the teens, jewel toned sequin enhanced performance wear for Sykes (his farewell faux military ensemble for “One Last Kiss” on the Sullivan Show is his best), and lots of fitted but flowing dance dresses for Rosie to execute her numbers in, as well as the aforementioned Ann-Margret salutes for Maddox. Maddox and Rodriguez’s wigs especially are exactly what they should be, the right cuts, the right colors, and the right way to flatter their faces.
Lighting Designer Cory Pattak is on point as usual. His work in the set framing, chameleon boxed lights complimented by his full stage lighting for the rest of the show, from town squares to suburban homes to the Ed Sullivan Show to mysterious dive bars, is his usual perfection.
And Haley Parcher’s sound design is, as expected, wonderful. The Kennedy Center is the one performance space in this country where the sound is virtually always guaranteed to be crystal clear regardless of the style of the show.
Jay Crowder’s on-stage Kennedy Center Orchestra is a great asset to the score. Plenty of brass and a strong and well-utilized string section give the score all the necessary flexibility and variety to preserve the sentiment and conventional sounds of the adult show tunes while nailing and all the early rock n roll edge necessary to provide lively arrangements of these beloved songs, all performed with the high energy and intensity to keep the evening flowing from number to number.
Choreographer Denis Jones (Holiday Inn, Honeymoon in Vegas, Broadway Center Stage’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) provides stellar steps for his energetic corps to excel. His “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” and the flirtatious and fun new framework for Rodriguez’s “Spanish Rose” carry the second act, but it’s his creative new vision of the iconic “Telephone Hour” (gone are Gower Champion’s individual boxes, this network of teens are literally as bound to their old-fashioned hard line phones as todays’ are to their smart counterparts) that bears his mark and gets the show off to the lively start it needs right out of the gate.
One critique I’ve had of most productions in the past is the story, as is, is a little all over the place, to the point where I wonder at times who’s story it really is? It’s not the title character’s, he’s just a caricature and a plot device. It’s not Kim’s, she’s a cipher to whom the story just happens. It seems to be Albert’s, but then Rosie get’s all the major stage time. But it’s not even Rosie’s because she only is in the story as an extension of Albert. Director Bruni strikes a perfect balance and makes it a total ensemble piece, despite the star turns that are written in. Everyone profits and the show becomes more coherent and engaging.
He has also smoothed over a few aspects of the story that haven’t’ aged well. The biggest change was the omission of the set piece “Shriner Ballet”, in which Rosie, partly to have a good time that she’s been missing, mostly to teach Albert a lesson, crashes a Shriner dinner to flirt with a room full of men looking for a good time. As the dance repeats in a cycle, each cycle got progressively more aggressive until it basically became borderline sexual assault from which she needs to be rescued by Albert. The flirtatiousness and some of the fun hide n’ seek/peekaboo elements of the dance have been incorporated into her 11:00 anthem of liberation, “Spanish Rose”, but the toxic aggression of the drinking and partying Shriners is gone. There were also clear allusions to inappropriate behavior in the original in the relationship of a 16-year-old Kim (poorly pretending to be in her late 20s to impress her pop idol) and a clearly 20 something Conrad Birdie partying with a townful of adoring, hormone-ridden teens. Those issues coasted on the memory of a nubile, obviously 22 year old Ann-Margret pretending to be a teen being less offensive. Today’s audience won’t stand for that. Bruni has toned that down and smoothed it over masterfully. The visual allusions only to young Ann-Margret without the sex kitten demeanor she routinely employed was a nice salute to the character and the artist with no controversy.
It also seems that Aaron’s Mae is, while still massively overbearing and domineering, slightly less racist than the original script, with more emphasis on her objections of Rosie based on her “advanced age” rather than her ethnicity. There are still an early reference or two to the fact that “Spanish is not a race” and the whole “Spanish Rose” rebuttal, wherein Rose determines if Mae hates her for being of Spanish descent, she’d, tongue in cheek, be the most stereotypically Spanish daughter-in-law she can possibly be (tongue in cheek because Rosie is actually only from Allentown PA; her lyric “I’ll be more Espanol than Abbe Lane” will mean nothing to the younger audience, but the joke is that Lane, the first wife of Cuban bandleader Xavier Cugat, her sultry Latin image was pure camouflage that she was born a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn). It now reads as more absurdity than blatant anti-Latino racism. Also, the publicity stories Albert and Rosie concoct regarding Conrad’s birthplace in “A Healthy, Normal, American Boy” have been updated also, from Indochina and Old Virginy to newest 50s states Alaska and Hawaii—all the locale exoticism with none of the racist potential (especially avoiding that pesky “old plantation moon” lyric).
But Bruno’s understanding of the piece and its relationship to American pop history is clear throughout. He seamlessly blends the vignette scenes into an intricate fabric of a story that weaves all the characters perspectives and all the classic early pop Broadway score into the most engaging production of the musical I have personally ever seen. A script that can tend to be rather jerky, start and stop in nature, and all over the place in its storytelling, is, under his smooth supervision, a fluid piece of fun, entertaining ensemble enjoyment and top-notch showmanship.
The Kennedy Center has once again proven themselves DC’s (I maintain the nation’s) best repertory theatre committed to preserving and improving love for the classic musicals that modern day Broadway seems to disregard. And it’s paying off for them. New York is suffering from their insistence on telling audiences what they want them to see. The Kennedy Center is giving their audiences fresh visions of what they want to see, and the Broadway Center Stage series continues to be more dependable and of better quality than most of Broadway New York. Congratulations to another strong addition to their superior regional theatrical commitment. Perhaps the Helen Hayes awards will pay more attention to the honors they deserve next year.
The good news is Conrad Birdie only has two days before he must leave Sweet Apple for basic training. You have the rest of the week before he leaves the Kennedy Center for a sweet memory. Get your tickets now. This cast has Got a Lot of Livin’ to Do, and so do you—don’t miss out.
Photos courtesy of Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.
Bye Bye Birdie currently plays through June 15, 2024, at the Eisenhower Theatre at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington DC 20566. For tickets, call the box office at 202.467.4600 or purchase online.