REVIEW: Bye Bye Birdie (Kennedy Center)
Summer does usually spell a temporary “Bye Bye” for the theatre industry, but the Kennedy Center seeks to remedy this by letting us say “Hello” to yet another entry into their lauded Broadway Center Stage series. That’s right, this go around is the 1960 musical comedy “Bye Bye Birdie”, which follows a music executive trying to cash out on their top client being drafted to the army. It’s history and flexible staging makes it an ubiquitous entry into the American musical canon, so it’s no surprise the Kennedy Center has taken it on again after producing a version in 2008.
Book/Music
It may be a classic musical but Michael Stewart’s book has aged like milk. Conrad Birdie is an Elvis-like superstar who complicates his manager Albert’s life by being drafted; Albert’s Latina secretary (important, since Al’s mother disapproves) Rosie subsequently devises a plan to cash out on this by having Birdie kiss one lucky member of his fan club on national TV. It’s very interesting for this to be staged in 2024 since the material fails the Bechdel test as hard as it can. Every female character, of which there are several, organize their existence around a man. and/or rationalize his idiotic behavior. The female leads are written to have legs but never walk very far with them. Not to mention the fact that the premise is inherently predatory — these are all like, high school-aged girls, and that’s not discussed as a problem until the very end in a shoehorned-in realization. The music isn’t very memorable either. Yet, with the indulgent orchestrations that this concert staging provides, they don’t have to be. The score by Lee Adams and Michael Stewart is richly injected with brassy Broadway energy, creating an purely archetypal show tune-y sound. 3/10
Acting
Another BCS, another daring array of huge Broadway names: Christian Borle, Krysta Rodriguez, Ephraim Sykes, Richard Kind, and Caroline Aaron are just some recognizeable faces you’re greeted with in this production. All are superb, of course —excellent casting choices made, as each performer is definitively entertaining in their turns. (I was largely unfamiliar with Krysta’s work before this, so I guess I’ll go watch Smash now.) Personally, I was glad to finally catch Borle in something since he’s been out of every show I’ve tried to see him in. The most impressive performances overall, though, belong to the residents of Sweet Apple as an ensemble, culminating with the magnetic Ashyln Maddox as Kim MacAfee. I’m quite glad to see her return to DC stages following an iconic turn as Jane Doe in 2023’s Ride the Cyclone at Arena Stage and subsequent Broadway debut in the Tony-winning revival of Parade. 8/10
Production
I, like most musical theatre enjoyers I presume, love a good concert staging. I was quite disappointed with the deserted presentation of the Kennedy Center’s last BCS in Tick, Tick…BOOM!, so director Marc Bruni has thankfully delivered a full 180 with a charming production that puts the bubbly ambiance first. The dense Kennedy Center orchestra dominates the rear stage atop a series of turqoise platforms, allowing the audience to appreciate the craft by any given musician. Behind them is some of the best projection work I’ve seen in theatre yet. Nathan Scheuer treats them less like a PowerPoint and more of like a flattened representation of actual set pieces, ones that move statically around as if with levers and pulleys. They never look fake or computer-generated, and compliment Lee Savage’s vibrantly googie set design. Denis Jones keeps the joy moving along with bouncy — and at times, quite creative — choreography, giving Linda Cho’s costumes plenty of time to show about. 9/10
Viz
It plays it safe. The wiggly, kiss-shaped typeface is successfully playful, though the bare blue background could be more interesting. I’ll give points due to this being such a recognizable name that it doesn’t need to be that elaborate. Though, the scrim being just a projection of the logo onto a curtain is a tad boring. 7/10
Verdict
Kennedy Center’s new Bye Bye Birdie is an excellent production of a sorely outdated piece of theatre, one that’s endearingly strung together with pizzazz to overlook its inherent shortcomings. 27/40
