This past weekend the Worthington Kilbourne Theater department performed the Musical Bye, bye, Birdie. This musical is about the singer and heartthrob Conrad Birdie, This character is based on Elvis Pressley and played by James Tolbert, a junior at Worthington Kilbourne. Before Birdie went off to war his manager Albert Peterson came up with the idea that one lucky fan could win Birdie’s last kiss before war. This lucky girl was Kim McCarthy, played by Elyse Williams, a senior at Worthington Kilbourne. Albert Peterson and his secretary Rose Alvarez tell most of the storyline, while also holding their own. Rose aspires to live a simple suburban life with Albert as her husband. Instead, their relationship is rocky, and Albert’s inability to commit to that type of life sends Rose down a spiral of emotions.
The character Rose Alvarez was played by Senior student Azizah M. She shared that “there is a lot that goes into putting on a musical. It took a couple of days every week for almost 3 months to feel prepared enough for the show.” She says, “Musicals like Bye, Bye, Birdie have many dance numbers and songs that can be hard to learn and remember. It can get frustrating but there is nothing better than the feeling when it all just clicks and comes together.”
Neil Taylor was cast as Mr. McCarthy, the father of Kim McCarthy. Taylor shared, “It was really fun playing him, I don’t usually get angry roles so this one was really out of the norm but I loved it. The most challenging part about this musical was learning all my lines. I along with many other cast members used things like Quizlet to help us study our lines and songs while also having 3-hour rehearsals a couple of times a week.” He goes on to say “The house [Built for the McCarthy family] was one of the biggest challenges we faced. It was so big and annoying and really hard to move.”
Azizah’s character was a f
an favorite amongst the audience, I asked audience member Peyton Marks to talk a little bit more about why she thought this was “I loved the character Rose. She was funny and relatable. I just knew every scene she was in was going to be a good one.” She goes on to share her favorite scene saying, “There is a scene where Rose kills Albert over and over again in her imagination. This was my favorite part about this musical, It had me cackling and was the cherry on top. The character Rose kept me wanting more and kept me interested in the play.”
Peyton Marks even goes as far as to say “I think out of all the plays and musicals I’ve seen throughout the four years I’ve been at this school Bye, Bye, Birdie was my absolute favorite. I liked Into the Woods as well, but this was a favorite because of how famous it is. The Musical was unlike anything else that has been shown here before. I’ve never laughed so hard at a musical. I think everyone was casted perfectly and did absolutely amazing.”
Even though the casting was perfect, if given the chance to play an alternative role would the stars play anyone else? Neil said “I love my charterer, It was really fun because I don’t typically get to play stricter characters. But if I had to choose someone else I would love to play Albert. He has so many fun dance numbers and some really good songs. I would also love to have a mom as funny as Alberts’s mom.”
When Azizah was asked the same question she said “This is hard because I love Rose and feel so so connected to her but I think having the chance to play Kim McCarthy would be really cool.”
Bye, Bye Birdie was the last musical of this school year but you still have a chance to see their final play of the year which should be announced in a couple of months. All money made from tickets goes back to the theater department so that they can continue to put on amazing shows.
