Chico Theater Company will turn back clocks, turn up heat with '60s-inspired rock'n'roll musical
By: Jennifer Siino
The Chico Theater Company is saying hello to "Bye Bye Birdie" May 16 to June 21.
Set in the early '60s, the musical is centered around Conrad Birdie, an Elvis-like rock 'n' roll megastar who get's drafted into the Army at the height of his fame.
Birdie's agent and songwriter, Albert Peterson, writes his big final hit, "One Last Kiss," at the suggestion of his secretary and sweetheart, Rosie Alvarez. A publicity stunt includes a performance of the song and "one last kiss" for one of his biggest fans, live on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
That lucky fan is Kim MacAfee from Sweet Apple, Ohio. Kim just got "pinned" and is now going steady with Hugo Peabody, who is less than thrilled to hear his new girlfriend is going to kiss Conrad Birdie.
Megan Mitchell practices lines for her upcoming lead role as Conrad Birdie's biggest fan, Kim MacAfee, in the Chico Theater Company's production of "Bye Bye Birdie." Daniel Tuccillo helps Mitchell rehearse as her steady boyfriend and Birdie-hater, Hugo Peabody. Media Credit: Lindsey North
The real fun starts as Conrad, Albert and Rosie head to Sweet Apple to meet Kim. Screaming teenage girls march to the tune of "we love you Conrad, oh yes we do." Their male counterparts retaliate with "we hate you Conrad, oh yes we do."
Birdie's arrival doesn't just stir up hostility between the genders.
"The whole premise of the show is having the conflict between the teenagers and adults," said Joe Garrow, the production's director and choreographer.
Albert and Rosie are in the middle of the dispute between the generations.
Joanna Coen, 24, plays Rosie. She grew up in Chico and graduated from Chico State with a music degree. Her classical training gives her acting and singing a more mature tone, she said.
Rosie has been with Albert for eight years, and she's about to "flip a lid" because Albert hasn't popped the question yet, Coen said.
"I just like her because she's not afraid to get her own way," she said. "She's the complete opposite of me."
Joey Bartlett, as Albert Peterson, happily sings "Put on a Happy Face" to Joanna Coen, as Rosie Alvarez. The two play a rock 'n' roll industry couple. Media Credit: Lindsey North
Albert, played by 29-year-old Joey Bartlett is Coen's commitment-phobe counterpart.
"He's kind of a whiny momma's boy who learns to stand on his own two feet and cut the umbilical cord," Bartlett said.
Bartlett enjoys working at the Chico Theater Company because of the stage's size and the good sound systems, he said. Though the theater has a decent-sized stage by area theater standards, there isn't much room on the sides for actors to make their entrances and exits. Behind the stage wall there is only about 3 feet of space, which means there is nowhere else to take the big set pieces when they aren't needed for a scene.
All of the set pieces are versatile, Bartlett said. The pieces fit inside of each other so they can make a bed, staircase, bedroom or living room walls when needed.
The set pieces also needed to be versatile because the musical uses a lot of "blackouts," where the curtain doesn't actually close, but the lights go down on the stage while the scene is changed.
Using lots of blackouts helps keep the flow of the play, he said.
The cast comes out into the sides of the aisles and makes use of every entrance and exit it can, Bartlett said.
An interactive musical about an Elvis-like rock star who aims to kiss one of his biggest fans for a publicity stunt arranged by a disenchanted secretary who is also the sweetheart of a booking agent who wants to be an English teacher may be a lot to take in, but the summer show should be entertaining.
Albert, played by 29-year-old Joey Bartlett is Coen's commitment-phobe counterpart.
"He's kind of a whiny momma's boy who learns to stand on his own two feet and cut the umbilical cord," Bartlett said.
Bartlett enjoys working at the Chico Theater Company because of the stage's size and the good sound systems, he said. Though the theater has a decent-sized stage by area theater standards, there isn't much room on the sides for actors to make their entrances and exits. Behind the stage wall there is only about 3 feet of space, which means there is nowhere else to take the big set pieces when they aren't needed for a scene.
All of the set pieces are versatile, Bartlett said. The pieces fit inside of each other so they can make a bed, staircase, bedroom or living room walls when needed.
The set pieces also needed to be versatile because the musical uses a lot of "blackouts," where the curtain doesn't actually close, but the lights go down on the stage while the scene is changed.
Using lots of blackouts helps keep the flow of the play, he said.
The cast comes out into the sides of the aisles and makes use of every entrance and exit it can, Bartlett said.
An interactive musical about an Elvis-like rock star who aims to kiss one of his biggest fans for a publicity stunt arranged by a disenchanted secretary who is also the sweetheart of a booking agent who wants to be an English teacher may be a lot to take in, but the summer show should be entertaining.
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