Review: 'Bye Bye Birdie' By Connelly School of the Holy Child​

A Cappies review of the performance of Bye Bye Birdie at Connelly School of the Holy Child on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020.

By Kara Murri, McLean High School

POTOMAC, MD — Did you hear? Conrad Birdie is going to war, Kim and Hugo are going steady, and Kim is going to be Conrad's last kiss before he's shipped off! Phones ring off the hook and hormonal hysteria takes over in Connelly School of the Holy Child's admirable production of "Bye Bye Birdie."

Written and composed by Michael Stewart, Lee Adams, and Charles Strouse, "Bye Bye Birdie" was an instant sensation after its 1960 Broadway debut. The Tony award-winning show spawned a successful film adaptation and countless revivals. Blending Golden Age and rock styles, "Bye Bye Birdie" has been cemented as a wildly popular staple of the American teenager narrative.

Poking fun at the panic after Elvis Presley's draft notice, the show follows a character named Conrad Birdie, who sparks a nationwide frenzy with the announcement of his impending military service. Desperate to save themselves from financial ruin, Birdie's songwriter Albert and Albert's secretary/girlfriend Rosie concoct a publicity ploy to travel from the Big Apple to Sweet Apple, Ohio, where Conrad will give away "One Last Kiss" to Kim MacAfee, a randomly selected fan.

With their "We love Conrad Birdie" signs at the ready, brightly-clad fangirls dominated this production. Their dizzying exuberance was infectious during numbers such as "A Healthy, Normal, American Boy," which featured various talented dancers. In their pavlovian worship of Birdie, the girls were practically drooling at his feet, visibly hysterical at moments and audibly thrilled at others, demonstrated by their ear-splitting shrieks.

Passionate and emotive, Kelsey Kley's performance as Rosie was the backbone of this production. Kley showed off a wide range of emotions, from frustration to elation--especially during the empowering numbers "What Did I Ever See In Him?" in which Kley's powerful belting technique and vocal prowess was particularly remarkable. Kley's spirited performance balanced Jillian Geils' performance as music-industry bum Albert. Geils purposefully altered her body language and vocal pitch to maintain realism as a girl playing an adult male. Together, Kley and Geils made their characters' tumultuous romance wonderfully entertaining.

Fifteen years old and ready to settle down, Kim MacAfee, a member of her local Conrad Birdie Fan Club, was played by Olivia Albury. Embodying all things lovely and light, Kim's bright-eyed attitude shone through with Albury's softer, youthful voice and wide vocal range.

Chick-chasing Conrad Birdie (Jake Kreindler) captured the voice, flippant persona, and hip-thrusting moves pioneered by the king of rock n' roll himself. A foil to Conrad's womanizing tendencies, "steady boy" Hugo (CJ O'Shea) captured the audiences' hearts with his endless devotion to Kim.

Comedic standouts included both Mr. and Mrs. MacAfee with their witty quips and exaggerated movements. Likewise, Albert's mother Mae Peterson hobbled onto the stage with a thick New York accent and a head full of air. Fainting and humming along, she left the audience chuckling all night long.

Each technical element at Connelly School aimed to embody the enthusiasm and liveliness of the late 1950s era. Purposeful minimalism and a well-defined color palette made for an aesthetically pleasing set, and despite the movement of numerous set pieces during the show, the scene transitions were fluid. The lighting, headed by Maggie Titus and Bridget Connelly, was full of color and life, most notably in the numbers "Telephone Hour," in which alternating spotlights captured the cacophony of town-wide gossip, and "Kids," which utilized a clever switch in light color whenever Mr. MacAfee cracked a one-liner.

After saying goodbye to Connelly School of the Holy Child's production of "Bye Bye Birdie," the audience left with the resolve to "Put On A Happy Face" because everyone's got "A Lot of Livin' To Do."

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Patch.