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“Bye Bye Birdie“ Not Received Well
16-Oct-2009
Written by: Blakely Slater
The revival of the 1960 play does not sit well with critics.
The director and cast members of “Bye Bye Birdie” can say “bye bye” to any hopes of a Tony award.
The 48-year-old play was brought back to a Broadway stage Thursday night for the first time since it’s original premiere. Inspiration for the play came from the public uproar that resulted after Elvis was drafted into the Army. In its 1960 production, “Birdie” was a fun show with lots of great music, but in this latest rendition everything from acting to singing that fell flat.
Director-choreographer Robert Longbottom is being criticized in the for taking the charm out of the play. Casting choices, including Nolan Gerard Funk as Conrad Birdie, the draftee, John Stamos as Birdie’s manager, and Gina Gershon as Albert’s secretary are questioned by every review out today.
Reuters describes the show as “mediocre; a misdirected, miscast, sluggish mishmash of a normally effervescent musical that probably can be seen to more entertaining effect in any myriad high school productions that occur annually.”
The review goes as far as to suggest that the entire cast was hit by an awful virus whose symptoms include “tin ear and loss of comic timing.”
“Bye Bye Birdie” is playing at Henry Miller’s Theater, but if these critics have any influence, this location will certainly not be a hot spot for theatergoers.
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