On Jan. 19, I spent my Friday evening watching a production of Bye Bye Birdie, performed by Laurier Musical Theatre.
Blue Monday vibes were lingering, so the thought of some musical theatre was exactly what I needed to shake them off.
Upon arriving at the theatre auditorium, I was shown to my reserved seat which happened to be in the front row, right in the middle. The best seat in the house. I felt like a real film critic and was embarrassed by my messy hair and bright blue sweater.
The orchestra sat in a pit below the stage, hidden from view by a black fence which was decorated with red, white and blue ribbon, as well as red glittery stickers of luscious lips.
The set consisted of several three-sided platforms that were rotated to reveal different scenes. As well as things like chairs and tables that were carried on and off by the actors. The platforms were recycled from the group’s performance of Footloose last year.
The classic musical followed the story of Conrad Birdie, a rock and roll performer who was drafted into the Army in 1958. Birdie, played by Colin Watts, was inspired by the real-life conscription of Elvis Presley into the Army in 1597.
Birdie had wide flares and a huge collar, and the iconic rock and roll “uhhhh huhhhh” was successful in making all the girls, includes the Mayor’s wife, faint in excitement.
It was Birdie’s manager, Albert Peterson, and his love interest, Rosie, who were the protagonists in the show. Jack Ford Stevens and Bay Gerlings played these characters, whose rocky relationship captured the heart of the audience – all of whom were rooting for a happy ending.
The performance had us all laughing out loud, particularly at the character of Mrs. Peterson, played by Camille Dehghan. Mrs. Peterson’s exaggerated hardships and dry sarcasm made her the star of the show in my eyes, an opinion shared by many, if her particularly loud cheer at the end is anything to go by.
Upon Birdie’s conscription into the army, Albert and Rosie devised one final publicity stunt that they hope would solve their money troubles. Birdie was to give one lucky member of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club “One Last Kiss” before his heroic and patriotic departure for the Army.
That lucky young lady happened to be Kim MacAfee of Sweet Apple, Ohio, played by Hannah Carlson. Shortly before being informed that Birdie wanted to kiss her, MacAfee resigned from the Conrad Birdie Fan Club to “settle down” at the age of fifteen. Of course, this resignation was immediately revoked after hearing the news of “One Last Kiss”.
The performance had us all laughing out loud, particularly at the character of Mrs. Peterson, played by Camille Dehghan. Mrs. Peterson’s exaggerated hardships and dry sarcasm made her the star of the show in my eyes, an opinion shared by many, if her particularly loud cheer at the end is anything to go by.
Another favourite of mine was the quartet of singers who started serenading Rosie during the performance of “Baby Talk to Me”. Unbeknown to us, three of them had been hiding under a table throughout the whole scene and randomly popped up and jumped into song.
Overall, a wonderful take on the classic musical.
The students of Laurier Musical Theatre performed faultlessly and had us all grinning from ear to ear.
Keep an eye on their Facebook page for the announcement of next year’s show.
If their performance of Bye Bye Birdie is anything to go on, it won’t be one to miss!
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