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'Bye Bye Birdie'
Energetic teens anticipate arrival of their idol
Drooling, hysteric Birdie fan
club members swarmed to the
center of Sweet Apple, Ohio,
prepared to sing " We love
you Conrad, oh, yes, we do,
we don't love anyone as
much as you . . . " ten
thousand times, and still the
excitement of America' s
number one idol coming to
Sweet Apple was too much
for some.
" Bye Bye Birdie," the 1960
Tony Award winner for best
musical, is only the second
musical in WMHS theatrical
history. Promoted as a school
wide project, it involved as
many departments and clubs
as possible. All profits from
the show went towards the
purchase of a sound system
for the auditorium.
The play revolved around
Albert Peterson (Bruce Fowler)
and his attempts to earn
enough money, with his
recording company to make
his over-possessive mother
(Shandell Burgess) financially
secure so that he could pursue
his real interest- teaching
English.
With the help of Rosie
(Laurie Yeager) his secretary
and soon-to-be-wife Albert
develops a plan in which rock
star Conrad Birdie (Chuck
Tomlinson) will bestow " One
Last Kiss" to Kim MacAfee
(Kim Furlow) his fan club
president, from Sweet Apple,
Ohio.
The troubles are just
beginning for the ambitious
couple, however, as Albert's
mother refuses to cut the
'apron strings' and Kim' s
parents (Mark Oglesbee and
Windy McCormick) have a
hard time accepting their
daughter's adolescence, in the
midst of a town crazy with
'Birdie' hysteria.
It was an uproariously fun
trip back through the
'Nifty-Fifties' with such
memories as 'loop-the-loop',
'midnight swims', and
'motorboats races' returning.
TOP: The Sweet Apple teenagers practice their " oohs," " ahs," and " ees" during a rehearsal of the courthouse
scene. MIDDLE: Cast members practice dance numbers taught by choreographer Debbie Crew Bourg after regular
rehearsals. LEFT: Directing her 2nd musical at WMHS, Mrs. Unda Townsend instructs Barry Colvin on being
a '50's teenager. RIGHT: Bruce Fowler and Laurie Yeager listen to suggestions made by music director Andy
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