VideoWatch Christian Borle, Krysta Rodriguez, Ephraim Sykes Perform Songs from Bye Bye Birdie
The Kennedy Center is mounting a new version directed by Marc Bruni.
By
Logan Culwell-Block
May 23, 2024
Bye Bye Birdieat the Kennedy Center is getting ready to take flight. At an event in New York City May 23, the cast of the upcoming production in Washington, D.C. previewed three songs from the show.
The 1960 musical—featuring music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, and a book by Michael Stewart—centers on music executive Albert Peterson, his sweetheart and secretary Rosie Alvarez, and Elvis stand-in Conrad Birdie as the latter descends upon Sweet Apple, Ohio, for "One Last Kiss" before answering a draft notice and joining the army. The comic story is inspired by a real-life situation with Elvis, with the musical parodying the screaming teen fans and bewildered parents in the rock-n-roll icon's orbit.
Marc Bruni is directing the new revival, which begins June 7 as part of the Broadway Center Stage series and is being dedicated to Kennedy Center honoree (and Bye Bye Birdie original Broadway cast member) Chita Rivera.
The cast includes Borle as Albert Peterson, Rodriguez as Rosie Avarez, and Sykes as Conrad Birdie, Caroline Aaron as Mae Peterson, Ashlyn Maddox as Kim MacAfee, Kind as Harry MacAfee, and Thompson as Doris MacAfee, Jackera Davis as Ursula Merkle, Miguel Gil as Hugo Peabody, Henry Kirk as Randolph MacAfgee, and Megan Sikora as Gloria Rasputin, along with Allison Blackwell, Sarah Chiu, David Aron Damane, Victor de Paula Rocha, Jalen Michael Jones, Evan Kinnane, Kevin Ligon, Kelly LoMonte, Luke Kolbe Mannikus, Linda Mugleston, Maria Cristina Posada Slye, Renell Taylor, and Dori Waymer.
The series presented tick, tick...BOOM! earlier this year, in a new production directed by Neil Patrick Harris; and will conclude its 2024 season with Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit's Nine in August.
Breaking the Binary Theatre is co-producing the world premiere with Playwrights Horizons about a group of queer co-workers in the age of climate change.