`Bye Bye Birdie' opens tonight at Hendricken

By Tessa Roy
Posted 12/1/16

By TESSA ROY Bishop Hendricken's Drama Program is preparing to perform its take on the classic musical Bye Bye Birdie. The late '50s/early '60s era show follows Conrad Birdie, an Elvis-style rock and roll star who has been enlisted to the Army. His

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`Bye Bye Birdie' opens tonight at Hendricken

Posted

Bishop Hendricken’s Drama Program is preparing to perform its take on the classic musical Bye Bye Birdie.

The late ’50s/early ’60s era show follows Conrad Birdie, an Elvis-style rock and roll star who has been enlisted to the Army. His manager, Albert Peterson, is trying to figure out how to deal with his absence and maintaining his contract. Longtime girlfriend and he come up with a plan for Conrad to give one girl a goodbye kiss. The musical features familiar tunes like “Put on a Happy Face.”

Richard Sylvia, Director of Fine and Performing Arts at Hendricken, said the show is “meant to be taken as a farce” and pokes fun at some of the ways of thinking during the period in which it is set. It’s been interesting for the students participating to learn about the time period while keeping with the fun, light and upbeat aspects of the show, he said.

“We have a great cast that’s been a joy to work with. They’re full of energy and are very committed,” Sylvia said. “It’s been a lot of fun to make this happen and we’re excited to share this with an audience.”

About 40 students, actors from Hendricken and actresses from high schools across the state make up the cast and crew of Bye Bye Birdie. They’ve become very close throughout the time they’ve been performing together, said Luke Stirpe, a senior who will take the lead as Conrad Birdie.

“The best thing about Hendricken theater is the family aspect you feel with it. They’re all people I love and are basically my brothers and sisters,” he said. “It feels great to have somewhat of a leadership role in that and get a chance to show how much I care about these people and how well we work together.”

Michaela Vieira, a senior at Bay View Academy in Riverside, agreed, saying the characters give the cast a chance to express themselves.

“This is a very fun, outgoing show, and the cast is full of fun, outgoing people,” she said.

Stephen Lee, a senior who will play Albert Peterson, was thankful for the opportunity to work with all his fellow cast members.

“The people I work with are awesome. They all give their best and are very positive,” he said. “We’re all able to be ourselves, which is great in this day and age where everything is about appearances. We can all come in and be ourselves and do what we love.”

On the tech side, stage manager Thomas Dunn, a senior, gets lots of experience running the show, calling cues for lights, special effects and projectors. He has worked on almost all the shows Hendricken has held since his freshman year and calls Bye Bye Birdie “adventurous.”

“It’s one of the more adventurous shows I’ve seen in terms of tech,” he said. “It’s probably the most interesting one I’ve done here.”

Each of these students said participating in the Drama Program has been a beneficial experience, as some of them plan to pursue theater further either as a career or a continued hobby.

Bye Bye Birdie will be played December 1 to 4. Performances from Dec. 1-3 will be held at 7 p.m. and on the 4th at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. They are available at Hendricken.com or at the box office. The cast of the show (not including tech or orchestra) is as follows:

Albert Peterson: Stephen Lee

Rose Alvarez: Kate Fitzgerald

Kim MacAfee: Abby McMahon

Conrad Birdie: Luke Stirpe

Mrs. Mae Peterson: Sophie Gregory

Mrs. Doris MacAfee: Michaela Vieira

Mr. Harry MacAfee: Giancarlo Gentili

Randolph MacAfee: Brendan Lawrence

Ursula Merkle: Lily Brewster

Hugo Peabody: Nicholas Bullock

Gloria Rasputin: Madelyn Dutilly

Helen: Madeline Morin

Nancy: Kathryn Moore

Alice: Marie Balemian

Margie: Elizabeth Barrett

Deborah Sue: Emily Fielding

Mayor: Carlin Fournier

Mayor’s Wife: Samantha Hopgood

Ed Sullivan/Maude’s 2nd Customer: Ryan Farrell

Harvey Johnson/Maude: Alex LeBlanc

Maude’s Dishwasher: Luis De Ugarte

Maude’s 1st Customer: Michael Breen

Ensemble:

John Paul Brissette, Abigail Burdick, Megan Caruso, Dominic DaSilva, Samuele Deluise, Giulianna Gentili, James Guo, Juliette Hoernle, Brad Hutchison, Andrew Iannucelli, Sean Moore, Joshua Pama, Stephanie Pauley, Thomas Rocco, Mackenzie Rowlands, Eva Silva, Robert Smith, Mira Tapper, Peter Tardiff

Production/Design Team

DIRECTOR/MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Mr. Richard Sylvia

CHOREOGRAPHER: Ms. Teresa Pearson

COSTUME DESIGNER/SET DECORATOR: Mrs. Carrie Devanney

LIGHTING DESIGNER: Mr. Adam Ramsey

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Mr. Robert Frank

SING IT OUT:

Abby McMahon, Michaela Vieira, Giancarlo Gentili (back row) Brendan Lawrence (front row) perform during a rehearsal of Bye Bye Birdie at Bishop Hendricken.

SOLO SCENE:

Ryan Farrell gets into character. He’ll play the parts of Ed Sullivan and Maude’s second customer.

THE STARS:

Abby McMahon and Luke Stirpe play main characters Kim McAfee and Conrad Birdie.

ENSEMBLE:

Alex LeBlanc, Madeline Morin, Michael Breen and Samantha Hopgood sing in harmony. GROUP EFFORT

: “This is a very fun, outgoing show, and the cast is full of fun, outgoing people,” said Michaela Vieria who plays Doris MacAfee.

THUMBS UP:

Stephen Lee and Sophie Gregory, who play Albert and Mae Peterson, have a good take.

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