Review: BYE BYE BIRDIE at The Argyle Theatre will have you 'put on a happy face,'

Babylon’s The Argyle Theatre closes out its wonderful fifth season with another smash hit, 1961’s Tony Award winning Bye Bye Birdie. Parodying the mania that ensued when Elvis Presley was drafted into the army, Bye Bye Birdie tells the story of recently drafted rock icon Conrad Birdie who travels to a small Ohio town to provide "one last kiss" to his biggest fan, Kim McAfee, before going off to war. Along for the ride are Conrad's manager/songwriter Albert Peterson, Albert's secretary and girlfriend Rose Alvarez and Albert's meddling mother Mae Peterson.

Once again, artistic director Evan Pappas, brings together a stellar team of professionals to bring this show to life. Jen Wineman brilliantly directs and choreographs the show; I especially loved her little homage to the 1963 film where she had some of the female dancers replicate the infamous Ann-Margret dance during “A Lot of Livin’ to Do”.  I also liked Wineman’s decision to incorporate Mae Peterson’s musical number from the 1995 TV movie, which is an underrated adaptation; I’m hoping one day to see a production of Birdie that incorporates the rest of the songs original songwriters Charles Strouse and Lee Addams  wrote for the TV version.  Lighting Designer David Sexton and Scenic Designer Steven Velazquez brilliantly collaborated in creating a spectacular 1950’s modern design multi-level set. The costumes by Amanda Scanze and Lillian (Lily) Schweikert were spot on for the time period. Sarah Goodman’s sound design was pristine and a shout out must be given to the fabulous pit orchestra led by Jonathan Brenner; they made a four-piece band sound like a fifteen piece orchestra.

Unfortunately, we lost Chita Rivera this year, who originated the role of Rose Alvarez in this show. Her legacy is truly honored by Sonia Roman, the true superstar of this show. Where has Ms. Roman been? According to her bio, she portrayed Dory in Walt Disney World’s production of Finding Nemo: The Musical. Well she may have found Nemo, but Babylon found gold with Ms. Roman. Her voice is perfect! She absolutely nailed each and every one of her musical numbers. Brian Owen did a nice job as Albert Peterson; he reminded me of Brooks Ashmankas. Rocking the stage as Conrad Birdie is Joe Drinkwater and he does just that; I especially loved his performance of “One Last Kiss”.  As a fan of Boardwalk Empire, it was great to see Allen Lewis Rickman on stage as Harry McAffee; he was perfectly cast and hilarious. Matching him toe to toe in hilarity is Deb Radloff as Doris McAfee and Jackson Parker Gill as young Randolph McAfee; a true scene-stealer whenever he was on stage.

Bye Bye Birdie is playing The Argyle Theatre through September 1st; with it’s memorable score, fabulous cast and relatable themes, it’s a perfect way to close out the summer as seeing it will definitely have you put on a happy face. Tickets to the Argyle Theatre’s upcoming sixth season is currently on sale. Shows include: A Christmas Carol, the Musical (Nov 7, 2024 – Jan 5, 2025), Jersey Boys (Jan 23 – Apr 6), Fiddler on the Roof (Apr 24- Jun 15) and The Music Man (Jul 10 – Aug 31). Tickets for the remaining performances to Bye Bye Birdie and the upcoming sixth season can be purchased here: https://www.argyletheatre.com/byebyebirdie

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