'Bye Bye Birdie' brings in 2010 theater season
By Erich Murphy
Pontiac Daily Leader
Thu Jun 10, 2010
“We love you, Conrad. Oh, yes we do.”
That is a familiar refrain that patrons to this weekend’s play at Chautauqua Park will hear. It is a play that they should like.
“Bye Bye Birdie” begins the 2010 Theater-In-The-Park season tonight at 7:30. It will run every night through Sunday. There will also be a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
This play was a contemporary piece when it was written in 1958. It was first produced as a play in 1960 and hit the silver screen in 1963 with Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh and Ann-Margaret as the stars. It also had Paul Lynde.
Like the movie (and the play), the production on the Chautauqua Park stage promises to be quite lively. What will make it very entertaining will be the music, the dancing and the enthusiasm projected from Anthony Gullo to Carson Cross and all the cast members listed in the program.
The storyline follows that of a popular rock-and-roll singer who is about to go into the Army. Yes, it is taken — with much liberty — from the drafting of Elvis Presley in 1958.
The play takes place in 1958 and Conrad Birdie, the Elvis-style rock-and-roller, is about to leave for the Army. This kind of creates a problem for his manager, Albert Peterson, who trained to be an English teacher but writes Birdie’s songs.
Not only is Peterson losing his ticket item, his secretary and No. 2, Rose Alvarez, is giving him an ultimatum.
Gullo plays Peterson and Krista Chmiel is his opposite, Rose. Together, Gullo and Chmiel offer a very solid and mature fixture on a stage that is often filled with kids and adults.
It is Rose’s idea for a “final kiss.” This is the big publicity stunt created for the purpose of bringing in money.
The 1950s was a different time when it came to following stars. The adoration was displayed in various forms, including fan clubs with extremely devoted members.
The Conrad Birdie Fan Club of Sweet Apple, Ohio, had sent cards to Birdie’s manager. Alvarez selected a name out of the card box and the plot thickened.
Birdie was going to kiss a fan before going off to the Army.
Kim MacAfee was the fan selected. She is the president of Sweet Apple’s Birdie fan club. MacAfee is played by Kalli Setterlund, though young, Setterlund is an experienced lead in Vermillion Players’ productions.
MacAfee is a 15-year-old girl who was recently “pinned” to Hugo Peabody, played by another longtime player on the VP stage, Zach Kohlmeier, when she learned she was to receive that “final kiss” from Conrad Birdie.
Things do not go as easily as planned. That’s to be expected, for how can there be an entertaining play if the script doesn’t call for plot twists?
One of the problems that keeps showing up is Mama Mae Peterson, Albert’s overbearing mother. Rachel Ifft is not old enough to be such a woman, but she goes over the top in being that overbearing mom to a 33-yearold mama’s boy.
Ifft has some pipes, too, as does Chase Mowery, who makes his first appearance on the Chautauqua stage as Conrad Birdie.
As anyone who must play the Elvis-type character, going deep is key. Mowery was able to do that in impressive fashion.
There are a number of veterans who are part of the cast. Included among those are Kim MacAfee’s parents — Harry and Doris. Harry MacAfee is played by Tom Ramseyer and Rachel Aupperle, who was Maria in the Vermillion Players’ version of “West Side Story” three years ago, is Doris.
Ramseyer and Aupperle play off each other quite well, even if Harry seems confused by all of what is going on in his house.
Director Danny Grider has a strong cast, and he is able to utilize the talents of each one to a level that makes this one of the best musicals in the history of the summer season at Chautauqua.
Helping make this so is an orchestra of musicians under the direction of Sandy Erickson. Many of the musicians play in the municipal band.
Anita Nangle comes through with another well choreographed effort. One scene in particular, the eighth scene of the first act, is an illustration of how good a production the combination of talent and direction can create.
There are some other interesting facts about this production. One is Rosie’s solo song, “Let’s Settle Down” in the first act, is new to the stage. It was not part of the original script or in the movie.
Another interesting tidbit, brought up by Grider in a private conversation before the play Wednesday, is Rachel Aupperle playing the wife of Tom Ramseyer. John Ramseyer, who is Tom’s son and was part of this cast, played the opposite of Aupperle’s character in the aforementioned “West Side Story”.
In the orchestra, LeRae Young plays French horn while David Young plays piano. LeRae Young is married to Dave Young, the Pontiac Township High School football coach, not the piano player. This is also somewhat of a family production. Besides the Ramseyer boys, LeRae Young’s son, Sean, plays Harvey Johnson. Also, Carla Chandler and daughters Maggie and Carrie are members of the cast.
There are others, as well. The two other productions by the Vermillion Players this season will be “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in July and “The Good Doctor” in August. “Joseph” will be the children’s play.
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