Lee Cast Takes Off With 'Birdie'
With his swaying hips and
drop-dead good looks, Birdie, played by Matt Lent, has won the hearts of
millions of bobby-soxers nationwide.
Left, as fans of Conrad
Birdie, Alex Valentin, Laura Svestka and Jackie Southee go crazy to see their
favorite star in person.
Photo Credit: Photos Larry Kobelka For The
Washington Post
In a bid to make one last buck
off him, music promoter Albert Peterson (played by Daniel Mustone) and his
secretary, Rose Alvarez (played by Gwynn Miller), stage an event in which
Birdie will kiss a lucky fan on television.
As it happens, that fan, Kim Mac
-Afee (Julie Clark) of Sweet Apple, Ohio, is about to give up her place in the
Conrad Birdie Fan Club because of her new boyfriend. Once he hears about
the smooch, he punches Birdie out on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Lee's production gains momentum
with the song "Spanish Rose," in which Miller's voice and expressions
give the audience a pick-me-up; that's followed by "Baby, Talk to
Me," in which Mustone sings into a phone in an attempt to get Rose to come
back to him. A chorus of boys at the bar in the back adds a light touch.
The set, which incorporates a
turntable to facilitate some hard-to-stage numbers, is very well done and
includes the use of colorful boxes to add depth and interest during the song
"The Telephone Hour."
The cast smiled its way through
intermittent sound problems in the best show-must-go-on tradition, determined
to make it a memorable experience for the audience.
Stephanie Morrison
Chantilly High School
Elvis Presley? Tom Jones? Jerry
Lee Lewis? No. At Robert E. Lee High School, the girls are going crazy over
Conrad Birdie, a national heartthrob about to be snatched from their midst by
Uncle Sam, who has drafted Birdie into the Army.
This 1960 Broadway classic,
built around the music of Charles Strouse (who took home Tony Awards for this
and "Annie"), is most memorable for the songs "Put On a Happy
Face" and "Spanish Rose."
The plot centers around music
agent Albert Peterson and his secretary, Rose Alvarez, who conspire to eke one
more hit out of Birdie before he leaves in order to clear their debt. They
devise a plan to have a nationally televised "last kiss" with a
15-year-old girl named Kim MacAfee from Sweet Apple, Ohio.
Peterson, played by senior
Daniel Mustone, shines in the lively "Put On a Happy Face," featuring
a pleasant dance routine with a pouting teenager. He also clicks well with
Gwynn Miller, playing his love interest, Alvarez. Miller has a powerful, almost
operatic voice that conveys the message of every song she sings.
Matt Lent, as Conrad, displays
all the stylistic idiosyncrasies of a teen idol of the period. Whether it is
the hip shaking or the womanizing machismo, he plays the part as if he
remembers those days firsthand.
Sophomore Julie Clark, in the
role of Kim the designated kisser, has a beautiful voice befitting her timid
character.
The "most comical"
award goes to Michael Southee as Kim's jealous steady boyfriend. Southee's
cracking voice and childish demeanor nail his depiction of the resentful yet
lovable Hugo Peabody. One feels for the boy with chronic nosebleeds who loses
his girl to the studly Birdie.
The highlight of the play is the
innovative two-level set, created by senior David Watkins and utilizing a
rotating turntable of professional size and quality. With a spin of the wheel,
what had been a bedroom is instantly transformed into the steps of City Hall
and a kitchen into a train depot. Watkins deserves tremendous credit for this
undertaking.
All told, Lee's production,
which continues this weekend [see Curtain Calls listing], has every audience
member reliving the '50s. Elvis may have left the building, but he is reborn in
Springfield!
Sargon De Jesus
Washington-Lee High School