The Susquehannock High School Theatre will present the musical Bye Bye Birdie on April 4-6, 2014.
According to gajemusical, Bye Bye Birdie takes place in 1958 and is a story based on Elvis Presley, who is about to be inducted into the army. Elvis is portrayed in the musical as a rock star named Conrad Birdie. In the musical Albert Peterson, his agent, along with Rose Alvarez, his secretary, help Birdie to make one last appearance in the spotlight on The Ed Sullivan Show. He has made a promise to give one teenage girl a goodbye kiss on the show. Kim MacAfee from Sweet Apple, Ohio wins this once in a lifetime chance. Birdie’s visit to the town causes an uproar.
Photo by: Matt Mitzel
Senior Zach Galante who is playing Conrad Birdie is pleased to be the lead.
“I was so excited when I heard that I got casted as the lead,” said Galante. “Opening night is right around the corner, and I think we will do pretty well. We have all been practicing hard and hopefully it shows.”
There are several of the lead roles that are double casted, and the lead cast for the musical is as follows:
Albert Peterson – Nathan Beyer
Photo by: Matt Mitzel
Rose Alvarez – (Blue) Ashlee Byers /(Red) Alexis Anelli
Conrad Birdie – Zach Galante
Kim MacAfee – (Blue) Brooke Weber /(Red) Allison Moltz
Mr. MacAfee – Billy Myers
Mrs. MacAfee – (Blue) Jenni Ferg /(Red) Emma Fletcher
Randolph MacAfee – Brian Kalisak
Mae Peterson – (Blue) Rachel Beyer /(Red) Bryna Mullins
Senior Mullins feels her part fits her personality and is excited for the role.
“Mae Peterson is loud, and so am I,” said Mullins. “I usually get roles that fit my personality, and it helps me to better portray the character. This is one of my favorite parts.”
Photo by: Matt Mitzel
The cast, crew, and pit have been practicing very hard for the play, meeting up to five days a week, and they will continue to meet and practice more leading up to the opening night.
Director Will Jenkins is pleased with how the play is looking so far and thinks it reflects the cast and crew’s hard work.
“The play is going extraordinarily,” said Jenkins. “Things are starting to all come together here in the last week of rehearsals. No matter what happens, it seems like the cast and crew pull everything together for opening night. We’ve had close calls in the past, but it is really amazing what sort of transformation happens between the last dress rehearsal and the first show!”
Performances will take place on Friday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 5 at 2:00 p.m. for the Blue Cast. The red cast performances will take place on Saturday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 6 at 2:00 p.m. More information can be found at Susquehannock Theatre.
