Bye Bye Birdie

Kids. It's one of the best and best-known songs from Bye Bye Birdie. There's "nothing the matter" today with those oh-so-many kids who fill the stage with so much sound, freshness and energy. It even makes me a bit ashamed to feel that the show's outdated. Still, there's something to be said for an era in which a performing idol like Elvis (here fictionalized as Conrad Birdie) wouldn't balk at heeding his country's call to armed service. And there's no lack of publicists today to think up a related stunt, as does Albert Peterson.

Actually, his long-suffering fiance, Rose, goads him into it so he'll leave his job at the top, be a teacher (despite lack of credentials), and marry her. Birdie, mimicked with tart, tongue-in-cheek attitude and whirly hips by John D. Smitherman, will goodbye-kiss one of his teen fans on his way to Army service. It turns out to be Kim (enthusiastic Anne Marie Nestor, looking much older than the gals who play her fan-club sisters), but her parents and the whole town get into the picture so often and prominently that they just about jockey her out of focus! Same's true of her boyfriend, despite Michael Desantis's realistic, rejected-teen portrayal. Is this cute or what?

Mainly it's the performers who attract. Larry Raben as Albert once again shines in the Apple spotlight, while lively, lovely Catherine Randazzo returns to share it. Judith Ann Davies taunts terrifically (with all the corny jokes and bits, yet) as Albert's mother. Michael Bajjaly rightly makes a proper fool of himself as Kim's father, with able support from "wife" Forrest Richards. The kids will all do their families who come to see them proud. Director Ben Turoff blocks so well and Brad Wages choreographs with such care that no one's contribution is lost. Not even the musicians, who do a nice job of not being drowned out by the young singers.