BYE BYE BIRDIE Begins Performances in January at Drury Lane Theatre

Bye Bye Birdie, the four-time Tony Award-winning musical, begins performances at Drury Lane on January 14 to conclude the 2015 - 2016 Season. The funny, irreverent musical takes audiences back to 1959 in quiet Sweet Apple, OH, where rock star Conrad Birdie shakes things up when he arrives to give one lucky teenage girl a special goodbye kiss. With a cast led by 2015 Jeff Award Best Supporting Actor winners Michelle Aravena as Rosie and Matt Crowle as Conrad's agent, Albert, Bye Bye Birdie is directed and choreographed by multiple Jeff Award winner Tammy Mader. Featuring musical theater classics such as "Kids," "Put on a Happy Face," and "A Lot of Livin' to Do," the inspired cast and creative team promise to bring a decidedly fresh touch to the timeless story.

Bye Bye Birdie, with a book by Michael Stewart, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Lee Adams, runs January 14 through March 13, 2016. Opening Night is set for Thursday, January 21 at 8pm. Tickets for Bye Bye Birdie are on sale now by calling the Drury Lane Theatre box office at 630.530.0111, TicketMaster at 800.745.3000 or by visiting DruryLaneTheatre.com.

The creative team is led by scenic and projection designer Christopher Ash (Spamalot, Pump Boys and Dinettes at Drury Lane), who joins the team directly from Yale after receiving one of the first Masters Degrees in Projection Design from the elite university. The team also features costume design by Sharon Sachs (Jeff Award winner for The Conquest of The South Pole at Famous Door Theatre Company; Cloud Tectonics at Goodman Theatre), lighting design by Charles Cooper (Hairspray and Curtains at Drury Lane; Old Jews Telling Jokes at Royal George Theatre), sound design by Ray Nardelli (Jeff Award Winner for Miss Saigon at Drury Lane), and wig and hair design by Rick Jarvie (Lyric Opera of Chicago). Under the musical direction of Alan Bukowiecki (conductor of Beaches, A New Musical at Drury Lane), Matt Aument (original orchestrations for Camelot at Drury Lane) returns to Chicago to reconceive the rock n' roll score for the Drury Lane orchestra.

"One of the major themes driving the design concept is media and how it manipulates reality. During the Vietnam War era, people turned to pop culture and music as an outlet to express their emotions," said director Tammy Mader. "Christopher has modeled our set after the Ed Sullivan Show, complete with live-action projections and bright pop-art advertisements of the time."

The cast for Bye Bye Birdie also features George Wolff as Mr. MacAfee (A Christmas Story, first national tour; Sweeney Todd, Ragtime at Drury Lane); Brianna Borger as Mrs. MacAfee (Jeff Award nomination for The King & I at Porchlight Music Theatre; Billy Elliot at Drury Lane; Little Night Music at Writers Theatre); Catherine Smitko as Mae Peterson (Oliver!, Funny Girl at Drury Lane; LES MISERABLES at The Marriott Theatre); Leryn Turlington as Kim MacAfee (White Christmas at Drury Lane); Rowan Moxley as Randolf MacAfee (Drury Lane debut; A Christmas Story at Theatre at the Center); Cam Ezell as the alternate Randolph MacAfee at select performances (Elf at The Marriott Theatre); Ryan Stajmiger as Hugo Peabody (Peter and the Starcatcher at Drury Lane; Into the Woods at Skylight Music Theatre); Stephanie Hansen as Ursula Merkle (Young Frankenstein at Drury Lane); Laura Savage as Gloria Rasputin (42nd Street, The Who's Tommy at The Paramount Theatre; Carousel at the Lyric); Roger Mueller as the Mayor (Jeff Award winner for 1776 at The Marriott Theatre; West Side Story at Drury Lane; Brigadoon at Goodman Theatre); Jill Shellabarger as the Mayor's Wife (Oliver! and 1776 at Drury Lane; My Fair Lady at The Paramount Theatre). The ensemble for Bye Bye Birdie includes Mike Accardo, Johnson Brock, Amanda Compton, Cole Doman, Nicholas Foster, Kim Green, Rhett Guter, Maya Lou Hlava, Jhardon DiShon Milton, Hanah Rose Nardone, Anthony Norman, James Rank, Isabelle Roberts, Jenna Schoppe, Holly Stauder, and Monica Thomas. The role of Conrad Birdie will be announced at a later date.

For headshots and imagery, click here.

The performance schedule is as follows: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. ($45), Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. ($45) and 8 p.m. ($55), Fridays at 8 p.m. ($60), Saturdays at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ($60), and Sundays at 2 p.m. ($60), and 6 p.m. ($55). Student group tickets start as low as $30 and Senior Citizens start at $40 for matinees. Dinner and show packages are also available.

Bye Bye Birdie concludes Drury Lane's 2015 - 2016 Season. Next up, Drury Lane opens the 2016 - 2017 season with the world-premiere production of Hazel (March 31 - May 29, 2016), with music by Ron Abel, lyrics by Chuck Steffan, book by Lissa Levin and directed by Emmy Award winner Joshua Bergasse. The 2016 - 2017 season continues with Deathtrap (June 9 - August 14, 2016) by Ira Levin; Smokey Joe's Café (September 1 - October 23, 2016) with music and lyrics by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller; Crazy for You (November 3, 2016 - January 8, 2017), with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin and book by Ken Ludwig; and the regional premiere of Saturday Night Fever (January 19 - March 19, 2017), by Sean Cercone and David Abbinanti.

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