Bye Bye Birdy Reflections
Bye Bye Birdie was truly an experience to remember.
This is technically my second musical at the Senior High, but it’s my first live show. And it’s my first lead role at the high school level.
When I was going through the audition process, I knew that I really wanted to be Kim MacAfee. She was just perfect for me. I went through the audition process, I got a callback, a second callback, and then I ended up being casted as the younger sister. You can imagine that disappointment instead of getting the leading lady, you get a role that was intended to be for a boy.
But as I started to go through the season and I began to develop the character “Robin MacAfee,” I began to realize what a gift it was to play her.
Robin MacAfee was a tomboy in the 1950s, which is sort of rare. Because of that, there was so much room to do so many fun things with her character. Not to mention that she was 100% one-of-a-kind compared to all of the other characters.
Instead of being a traditional girl, I got to be rambunctious and crazy, but also be obsessed with Conrad Birdie and hang out with all the girls. I even had a little yellow dress for one (and only one) scene. I also had a lot of funny moments, like chugging a 7Up, eating huge mouthfuls of a sandwich (which, because of its dryness, I always had to immediately spit out the minute that I came offstage.) and getting carried off by my dad (the very hilariously talented Henry Krom.)
Being a lead role and being a part of the dance ensemble was definitely a task to juggle. Not only did I have all of my numbers as Robin, but I also had all of the extra choreography to learn on top of that. There was never a break for me during rehearsals. For example, when Mrs. Duda would dismiss the teen dancers, the adult chorus would have to come on to run “Hymn For a Sunday Evening.” (One of my bigger numbers.) It was fun, but definitely tiring.
I also had a really quick change after the second act. I had to be a teen dancer in the full cast number “Lot of Livin’” and then immediately be in a scene as Robin. I had to go from pink skinny jeans and a purple sweater into overalls and tennis shoes in less than a minute. My friends Brielle and Lily were definitely a huge help. They were a super team, ripping off my shoes and pulling my overalls over my pants as I jammed the hat on my head and threw the sweater over my shoulder.
I’ll never forget Bye Bye Birdie. It was an honor to be a part of it. And to Robin, it was wonderful to wear your shoes.
~Sarah Hoffman, sophomore
I went to see Bye Bye Birdie on the opening night and I really enjoyed it. I thought that everyone that was in the musical did a fantastic job. One of my favorite parts was when they had the black and white camera filming the TV show. I thought that it had a very cool perspective to it. I liked seeing both sides. One of my favorite characters was Mrs. Peterson. Everytime that she would come on stage it was always funny. She was over dramatic about a lot of things which made it even more interesting. One of my favorite lines that she said was, “You’re just like your father, you will marry anything.” This was so funny because it was like she was insulting herself. I thought that all the songs were sung very well. The one that was my favorite though was “One Boy.” I especially liked it when Rosie was singing it about Albert. The fact that she stuck with him for eight years and they never dated or anything was really surprising, but in the end they ended up together. Another character I thought was very funny was Gloria. Everything about her was funny, from her white wig to the way she talked, I enjoyed it all. One specific part I liked about her was when she got stuck in the split. I thought it was an all around good play. Including all the girls being obsessed with Conrad Birdie, the relationship between Albert and Rosie, how Mrs. Peterson didn’t really like Rosie, and all the girls singing, “We Love You Conrad.” It was a very enjoyable musical.
~Elle Snyder, sophomore
My favorite parts of Bye Bye Birdie were all of the dance numbers. I enjoyed the opening teen number because the dancers danced with hula hoops. My friend Hailey was a dancer and it was fun to see her. I also liked the number where Rose Alverez dances like the cell block tango and ties Albert to the chair. I loved the dancer’s outfits in that scene. I enjoyed the 1950’s vibe that the whole play had. Another good scene was the first time Conrad Birdie sang. It was funny to see all of my friends swoon over him. Even the moms were swooning. I also like the talk show scene. It was so cool to see everyone on the screen as well as on stage. Overall, Bye Bye Birdie was chaotic and funny and I think it was more fun to see the musical in our own theater rather than watching paid actors in it. My time was well spent and I would definitely see it again if the cast were to perform another time.
~Mattea McIntyre, sophomore
I am very impressed with the production of Bye Bye Birdie. The entire cast and stage crew did such a good job. I’m going to be honest, sitting in an auditorium for two hours doesn’t sound very interesting to me, but oh boy this was. I found myself chuckling in my seat several times. Henry Krom played Mr. Macaffee, which was by far my favorite character. He was so funny especially when he had to go on long, fast rants about kids these days. It’s amazing he didn’t run out of breath. Another favorite moment of mine was when Mae took the stage. Her obnoxiously blowing into her tissue whenever Albert would try to speak was definitely peak comedy. Additionally, I thought everyone played their parts so well. Sarah Hoffman did an amazing job at her character. She reminded me of one of The Three Stooges. I thought the whole Macaffee dynamic worked very well with the people chosen to play their roles. The dancers also did some very impressive tricks. The whole time I thought to myself “Wow I could never do that”. All in all the cast, stage crew, and ensemble put on an amazing performance, and I cannot wait to see what they do next year!
~Aly Gentilo, sophomore
This year, I had been wondering what the Drama Club would be presenting this school year. After being in the show, I can confirm…Being in the cast of Bye Bye Birde was such a thrilling experience! Throughout the past four months, I myself and many others have put in a lot of work, hours, and lost a lot of sleep during the production process of Bye Bye Birde. It is a busy, work filled process, with many people and key components needed to make it possible. The actors of course, the memorization of music and lines, the character added to the sets and people, etc.. A lot of dedication is needed to, because you always have to be focused and paying attention, as things have very tight timing, and things might/could/do change. It can be troubling physically, mentally, and overwhelming at times, but the satisfaction for me is that I can put a smile on someone’s face, and to me, that’s all that matters, is putting on a great show! Overall, my heart is with the Drama Club, and all of the arts in general, and so can’t wait to see where I go for many years to come!
~Nathan Shashura
The crew members put on such a great show. I was so impressed with every single person that was involved in the musical. It was so cool to see the end product to all of the hard work they put into the performance. I loved seeing all of the familiar faces on the stage and watching them show off all of their amazing talent. I would never be able to remember all of the lines in that huge performance. I am so grateful that our school is able to give us the opportunity to watch a group of people work together to produce such a breathtaking performance. I could see all of the passion and dedication that each person on the stage had. Everything was so great. The lights, the band, the props, the backdrops, the singing, the dancing, the acting. Everything about the show was so awesome. I also had many laughs throughout the show. Many of the characters had funny personalities and were fun to watch. The dancers were all so on beat and graceful. The singers amazed me and all of the songs were so catchy. Every character was able to tell the story in their tone of voice and facial expressions. I really was so impressed with the performance and I am already looking forward to seeing next year’s.
~Corrine Wright, sophomore
Overall Bye Bye Birdie exceeded all my expectations. The acting was awesome and I loved the comedic relief. My favorite character was Harry McAfee, played by Henry Krom. I thought that this was the funniest character; his relationship with his family was hilarious. When Mr.McAfee said, “All I want is respect” and then his daughter responded with, “I respect you Pa” then Mr. McAfee exclaimed, “Not your respect!” I thought everyone did fantastic and fed off each other, absolutely amazing!
~Louie Amatucci, sophomore
I loved the musical Bye Bye Birdie. My favorite character was the secretary that Albert’s mom brought for him as a replacement for Rose, played by Arielle Teppert. I thought her outfit, hair, and accent were all perfectly done. It made me laugh when she could not get up from the split position and was chewing her gum very aggressively. Another character that I enjoyed was Kim’s father, played by Henry Krom. He was so funny and fit the typical father character. I also enjoyed a lot of the songs. I found myself singing them for days after I saw the show. My favorite one was “We Love you, Conrad.”
Belle Blossey, sophomore
Bye-Bye Birdie was so fun to watch! I loved seeing all my classmates in the show! They did such a fantastic job. I think my favorite scene was when they had the TV in black and white on the Ed Show. It was so cool to see the recording and it showing up black and white. I also loved seeing my Maddie girl do what she loves!! I also enjoyed watching Brianna do the outfit change in the beginning of the musical while she was singing it flowed really amazingly! Another favorite part of mine was when Brielle Zimmerman had the cool outfit change and ran all around the table, under it, and every which way. It made that scene so much better. Seeing everyone playing their role and acting to the best of their abilities was phenomenal! I loved when Conrad was singing and everyone was so ‘dreamy’ about him! The dancers did amazing and the singers sang amazingly. Seeing the emotion and facial expressions made it 10x better. My favorite song was the Conrad Birdie song. The stage crew did amazing as well!
~Gianna Lewis
The musical Bye Bye Birdie was really entertaining. I went on opening night. We sat at the very far back of the right center in the auditorium. Our seats weren’t the best but we could see pretty good. Overall the musical was really fun. From all the dance numbers, to catchy songs, to funny characters. Personally I really enjoyed the scene where Conrad sings “Sincerely”. That was really fun. All the cast members were involved and it looked super high energy. They even had one girl who was like tossing a flag. My favorite character was Albert’s mom. All her scenes were hilarious and she was just such a good actor. Another one of my favorite songs was when Rosie and Albert were talking to reporters. I think that definitely happened today in real life. The people who play Rosie and Albert are such good singers and all their scenes together were cool. Also, I think the pacing of the show was good. There was never a scene where I was bored. That hour and a half flew by. I had a great time and can’t wait to see the musical next year.
~Abby Cook
I absolutely loved the show. I saw how much effort, time, and dedication that was put into this production. I loved seeing my fellow classmates express themselves in the musical form!! I saw everyone’s talent, whether it was singing, dancing, or acting!! Can’t wait for next year’s play. My favorite character was Hugo. I also loved the song that they sang when birdie was going away
!! Bye bye Birdie!!
~Mikena Marino
On Friday night, I attended the opening night of Bye Bye Birdie. I thought it was a great show and I could tell how much work each member put into it. My favorite scene was the scene when Conrad Birdie performed “Honestly Sincere”. I loved how almost all the cast was on stage for the scene. Each actor brought the scene to life with their movements, lines, and expressions. I thought that Conrad’s outfit was perfectly suited for his character. I was very impressed with the actor’s voice and how much he got into character. He put his whole heart into the performance and I could tell. I really enjoyed each characters’ costume and I thought it really added to the overall effect of the musical. My second favorite scene was the telephone scene. I loved how each girl had a different color box that matched their phone. I had never seen anything like that in a musical before. The girls were very invested in their characters. The way they said their lines and how they danced showed that they were giving their all. I liked when everyone ran out on stage during that scene and started dancing with the hula hoops. Overall, the show was really well put together and I’m so glad I got to see the final product.
~Macie McHugh
My favorite part of the musical Bye Bye Birdie was when Kim McAfee went on the Ed Sullivan Show with Conrad Birdie. I found this act really entertaining and it had a good twist at the end. I liked how Kim’s father was so excited to be on his favorite host’s show that you could just see him in the background trying to get into the camera shot. I also liked how Conrad kept suspense when he was teasing the kiss with Kim. The best part was when he was finally about to kiss her but her boyfriend, Hugo, hit Conrad. He might have ruined the whole show but it was a good comic relief to the scene.
~Asia Mills
I enjoyed Bye Bye Birdie so much. I could not stop laughing. It was the perfect high school musical. I wanted to watch it again and again. My favorite part was when the girl with the blonde wig came and was doing a split and couldn’t get up. I was laughing so hard. I also really enjoyed the part when they were recording the live show and you could see the camera on the big screen. That was a really funny scene. I thought the overall storyline was very entertaining and that the characters did a really good job of bringing it to life. The entire cast did a wonderful job!
~Regan Reilly
Bye Bye Birdie was a wonderful show I had the chance to perform in. My favorite number of the whole show was “Honestly Sincere”. The energy during this number was amazing. I had a ton of fun dancing and having small interactions on stage. Another fun part about the number is watching how other people interact. Madison K. at one point changes the finger that her wedding ring is on to show that she is fawning over Conrad Birdie. Olivia, as Edna, going crazy over Conrad while the mayor, John, tries to hold her back is hilarious. To be honestly sincere, John’s facial expressions before and during the number are ridiculously funny. The Johnson family’s interactions during the song are also so funny. Stephen and Jacob dancing and Madi looking at them like they are crazy and trying to get them to stop, and then turning her back on them is such a golden moment. A moment that our Sunday audience unfortunately missed. Another great part is when Jacob is dancing in the center and Stephen pulls him back and scolds him for like two seconds and then immediately goes back to dancing. While “Honestly Sincere” is my favorite number, the songs that got stuck in my head the most were “Rosie” and “We Love you Conrad.” The former being stuck in my head the most often and driving me absolutely crazy. I absolutely enjoyed the past few months and am excited to see what next year’s musical is.
~Sarah Balega
I was extremely impressed with how each actor brought their character to life. The drama between Rose and Mrs. Peterson was hilarious, the girls being crazy for Conrad Birdie was funny. I particularly liked Hugo, though. The scene where the adults sang about kids being such a handful was my favorite.
~David Klunk
I really enjoyed watching Bye Bye Birdie. My favorite person in it was Conrad Birdie. I think he played his role very well. My favorite part was when they were on the Ed Sullivan Show and they had the camera, but you could also see the screen that showed them. It felt like I was watching them on TV and I think that was a very cool part they added. I thought many parts of the play were super funny like when they were on the show and the family was in the background trying to be seen on TV. The main girl who played the girl that Conrad was going to kiss is my neighbor and I have known her my whole life so it was cool watching her because I know her personally. I think every person in the play did an amazing job with their roles and I definitely laughed a lot while watching the play.
~Sami Kronenwetter
My favorite part of Bye Bye Birdie was Sarah Hoffman’s song. I think she did an amazing job at playing a little kid. The song she sang was really upbeat and fun. It was fun to watch a friend of mine perform.
I also loved the “We love you Conrad” song that the girls sang. It sounded really pretty and it was funny to hear them repeatedly singing it. My favorite acting scene was when they were tired of singing the song but “did it for Conrad.”
Everyone in the musical did an amazing job. It was hard to pick a favorite part. I loved seeing my friends up on stage. I was very glad to have been able to watch Bye Bye Birdie!
~Megan Lynch
What an experience it was. This year was my first show in Stage Crew, and I don’t think I would want a first with any other show– or cast. The cast was absolutely amazing to work with. Their energy and enthusiasm for this show was truly something to be inspired by and I will never forget. I know every single one of them has amazing futures ahead of them and I know they will all make it far.
Being a part of the Stage Crew was definitely one of my highlights throughout my time in highschool thus far, and I’m over-the-moon that I was able to be a part of it. The whole team really became my family over this past year and I’m forever grateful for all the memories I got to make with them along the way. Building the amazing sets and working behind the scenes was insane. Working hard with the crew to make the show come alive with the sets that we got to build hands-on from scratch wasn’t easy at times, but it was magical. An insane amount of late nights went into it, and I’m sure we all will still be recovering from sleep deprivation for weeks to come, but seeing our hard work pay off was spectacular and I am beyond words for how astonishing it truly was.
Even while our lovely cast was performing our memories didn’t stop. Now, we may not be part of the cast, we definitely had the energy to be! During all the songs we were always in the wings singing and dancing along keeping the good energy flowing throughout. We even got some of the cast to jam out with us back there.
It simply wouldn’t be right if I didn’t shout out our phenomenal pit orchestra for coming out. They all have a true passion for what they do, and it is so vividly shown through their music. They played with such excitement and added so much to the performance. Having a live orchestra is always such a gravitating addition to any event!
I can’t even put into words how insanely proud of the cast, crew, and pit for this experience I am. I love each and every one of them that was a part of it. I will be forever thankful, and grateful for the time I got to be with them all. I can’t wait to see what is to come for us next year.
~Debra Sherron
I went to the musical on opening night and I think the cast members did such a great job. You could tell how much hard work all of them put into this to make it a great performance. The dancers caught my eye the most. They were so talented and you couldn’t take your eyes off them. There was always so much going on at once and there were bright colors portrayed everywhere. I loved the part when all the girl dancers came out on stage with the black suit jackets on and the black hats. They were really sassy and they put everything they had into that dance even after being so tired. I give them so much credit to be able to act, dance, and sing all at once. I think that the musical was also very funny. Arielle Teppert made the whole audience laugh whenever she was in the white big wig especially when she couldn’t get up from the split. There were many great voices in this show and important roles. Without all of those kids, it wouldn’t have been the same show. I’m so happy that I got to see all the talented kids at this school in Bye Bye Birdie.
~Ava Krehlik
I loved the musical Bye-Bye Birdie. Everyone was very talented and I was shocked by all of the talent we have here. My favorite part was when Rosie sang “Spanish Rose”. I liked this part because she was showing the stereotype that Alberts’s mom was pushing upon her. I think Rose is a strong and independent woman and this song gave more power to her. She amused the stereotype but also showed how that is not who she actually is. I think Rose is a character that we could all learn from. She stood up for herself and showed that she is powerful. I loved the musical and it made me laugh from beginning to end.
~Amanda Martino