Rehearsing a scene of the mayor presenting the key to the city to Birdie are (from left) Savannah Lagana, Maxwell Leitch, Ian Stewart, Patrick Kaczmarek, Meghan Molina, Melissa Friedrich, Mychal Eichenlaub, Caleb Renaud, Zoe Kaiser, Savannah Gregory and Hrishik Rangaraju. Photo by Bonnie Hobbs.
Featuring a cast of 60, the iconic musical, “Bye Bye Birdie” will burst upon the stage at Liberty Middle School. Show times are Thursday-Saturday, April 16, 17 and 18, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 during school lunches and at the door.
“The kids are doing a fabulous job,” said Director Jody Scott. “They’re supportive of one another and are so excited about all the dance numbers. Our soloists are outstanding and the actors have even been rehearsing in their spare time because they really want to do the best job possible.”
The story takes place in both New York and Sweet Apple, Ohio, in 1958. Rock star Conrad Birdie is drafted into the Army, and his manager wants to make a last bit of money off him before he leaves. So he holds a random drawing to have Conrad get a farewell kiss from a female fan on TV’s “Ed Sullivan Show.”
Portraying the manager, Albert Peterson, is eighth-grader Patrick Kaczmarek. “Albert’s a pushover and a mama’s boy; he’ll do anything to make her happy,” said Patrick. “But his girlfriend of eight years wants him to marry her, already.”
Patrick enjoys playing someone other than himself and says it’s helped him “come out of my comfort zone. I was drawn to Peterson because he’s such a nice guy. He makes everybody happy, and I like being that kind of person.”
Patrick also likes his song, “Healthy, Normal, American Boy,” because “it has an upbeat tempo and I dance to it. The music goes from a march to a sweet ode.” He said the audience will like how the story ends and, he added, “There’s a nice twist.”
Classmate Meghan Molina plays Peterson’s girlfriend, Rosie. “She’s an independent woman who knows what she wants,” said Meghan. “And she wants Albert, who won’t stand up to his mother. But Rosie wants Mama out of the picture so she and Albert can marry and he can become an English teacher.”
“I love playing Rosie because she’s strong and sassy and has a really good personality,” said Meghan. “And I get to sing some great songs, including ‘What Did I Ever See in Him?’ It’s fast-paced and, since Rosie’s angry at Albert at the time, I have to show a lot of emotion while singing it.”
Meghan says the audience will love the show because “it has lots of jokes and Miss Scott and Mr. [Gary] Verhagen [the assistant director] are just fantastic. And the cast is really funny and put a lot of work and effort into making this play great.”
Portraying Conrad Birdie is eighth-grader Ian Stewart. “He’s an Elvis-like figure and a teen heartthrob,” said Ian. “Everybody knows who he is. He goes along with the contest because he knows his manager knows what’s best for him.”
A Liberty chorus member, Ian likes his role because it’s mostly singing, with several solos, and Conrad “does humorous things throughout the play.” His favorite song is “A Lot of Living to Do” because “it has vivacious movement and music. And it describes what 1950s teenagers liked to do to have fun with their friends.” As for the show, he said people will enjoy its quick pace, plots twists and turns, music and dances.
Classmate Savannah Gregory plays Kim MacAfee, the 15-year-old contest winner who lives in a little, rural town in Ohio. “She thinks she’s all grown up and has life all figured out,” said Savannah. “She’s perky and follows through on her ideas.”
“So she’s fun to play because she’s spirited, happy and energetic,” continued Savannah. “But she’s also a dramatic teenager and can get really mad. She always stands out and thinks she’s more mature than everyone.”
Savannah especially likes her solo, ‘How Lovely to be a Woman,’ because “it’s upbeat and cheerful. It’s also ironic because Kim doesn’t accept that she’s a teenager.” Overall, she said the audience will like the love story between Rosie and Albert, the group songs and dances, plus the ’50s sets and costumes.
The cast has been rehearsing since November, and Scott’s filled the stage with period props — many of which were foreign to her young thespians. For example, she said, “We’re using real rotary phones, and they’ve had to learn to hold them close to their ears.”
Regarding costumes, the boys will dress in button-down sport shirts and fedora hats. Girls will wear pedal pushers [short pants], poodle skirts, house dresses and vintage purses, hats and gloves. Scenes will take place on the New York streets and in Albert’s office, train stations, Kim’s house and a movie theater.
Scott said Choral Director Bryan Case has done “a wonderful job teaching all the songs,” and Verhagen “is both my right- and left-hand person in making this show come to life.” As for the audience, she said, “People will like how each actor reacts to what the others are saying and doing; and the audience will be taken back to 1958, a simpler time. And the singing is truly captivating and will draw the audience into the story.”