Healthy doses of 1950s nostalgia help to power an increasingly inane narrative in “Bye Bye Birdie,” a frolicsome lark receiving a finely calibrated and amusing production at the Wick Theatre.
Its first act is a goofily enjoyable musical in bright pastel colors, where actors skilled in the patter and footwork of the era excel, and the direction and choreography rise to the challenges it presents. If the show seems to skid hopelessly off the rails in its slapdash second act, it appears to this critic no fault of the Wick’s seasoned, breathlessly hardworking cast and creative team.
Jeremy Benton, last seen in the Wick’s winning “Anything Goes” earlier this year, finds a likable nebbish in Albert Peterson, manager of Conrad Birdie, a hip-thrusting singing sensation modeled after Elvis Presley, who has just been drafted into the Armed Forces. This spells doom for Albert’s agency, which is heavily indebted to Conrad’s now-stalled productivity, and together with his secretary and love interest Rosie Alvarez (Leah Sessa), they hatch the sort of harebrained plot only seen in American musical theatre: They’ll select, at random, a devoted member of Conrad’s fan club—one Kim MacAfee, played by Alexandra Van Hasselt—for the singer to visit before his deployment, lock lips with her live on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and debut a new song (“One Last Kiss”) that will keep Albert’s firm in the black.
Of course, many a hiccup ensues, in the forms of Hugo (Cody Knable), Kim’s jealous new boyfriend; Kim’s conservative father Harry (Ben Sandomir); and Conrad himself (Cole), who proves to defy the wholesome narrative the media has spun about him. There’s also the matter of Albert’s mother Mae (a standout Lourelene Snedeker), who, fearing the loss of her son to a Spanish sparkplug like Rosie (or any woman, most likely), will do anything to prevent their courtship.
What the story lacks in complexity, the production makes up for in verve and attention to detail. It’s not a stretch to suggest that Benton’s delightful tap performance in the show’s classic “Put On a Happy Face” is alone worth the ticket price. Just as he ropes in a pair of sluggish teenagers into his happy dance, so too does Benton work his magic on the audience, lifting us into his effervescent headspace. For those few minutes, we feel as though we’re watching Gene Kelly in an MGM movie musical.
Likewise, Sessa, who has usually been seen in supporting roles in Wick musicals, proves she’s worthy of a leading actor’s spotlight, from the intricate footwork of the comically seductive “Shriner’s Ballet” to the script’s period repartee. (Whether this number has a place in the show at all is debatable.) As is expected, it’s hard to take one’s eyes off of Cole, an actor who has made a career out of embodying Presley (he acted in the Wick’s “Million Dollar Quartet” earlier this year), and is thus a perfect fit for the King’s charismatic avatar. Snedeker, in the familiar Mom From Hell archetype, is a marvel of comic timing.
Director Norb Joerder studs the production with nuance and sight gags; I loved the teenager who couldn’t quite seem to nail the choreography in the first performance of “We Love You, Conrad,” and the moment when a character is carted away on a wheelbarrow at the end of a number. Cat Pagano’s choreography effectively channels the infectious energy of a ‘50s sock hop, as do Isabel Rubio’s costumes, with their copious plaid, stripes and denims. Kacey Koploff’s projections contribute an immersive multimedia atmosphere to the show, and even include a vintage commercial from “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
All of that said, there are moments of cringe even during the best of “Bye Bye Birdie.” “How Lovely to Be a Woman,” with its lyrics touting the glories of being an object of the male gaze, has not aged well. By the time we’re into the meat of Act Two, the show has devolved into borderline incoherence, with one inconsequential song after another, each failing to move the plot forward. After so much nonsense, the resolution ends up feeling truncated and perfunctory.
If I’m in the minority here, fair enough; “Bye Bye Birdie” did win the Tony for Best Musical in 1961, and the bones of the show are ostensibly the same. But don’t be too surprised if you feel as I did—that there’s a fine 90-minute, one-act musical hidden among the glut.
“Bye Bye Birdie” runs through Dec. 24 at the Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Tickets cost $109. Call 561/995-2333 or visit thewick.org.
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