Brighton Students Gear Up For 'Bye Bye Birdie'

Is there anything more refreshing than seeing young people using hard work, dedication and true commitment to bring a project passionately to life? Nearly 100 students are spending a staggering number of hours on stage and behind the scenes doing exactly that preparing their 2011 musical, “Bye Bye Birdie!”

The play will take the stage April 29-May 8 at

The cast includes not only BHS students, but students from Brighton’s elementary and middle schools as well. No participant has just one role. In addition to rehearsing their acting, singing and dancing daily, they work with other students building sets, selling tickets and program advertising, managing websites, making phone calls, and preparing the “front of the house” for the show. Parent and community volunteers are deeply invested, too, so a wide range of talent will be on display in the finished product.

“Bye Bye Birdie” is an unfailingly cheerful, family-oriented musical, combining love and coming-of-age stories. Reminiscent of real headlines from the late 1950s, popular music icon Conrad Birdie has been drafted into the military. Albert Peterson, his agent, is a very pleasant, mild-mannered young man. Albert's faithful secretary and would-be fiancé, Rose Alvarez, concocts one final national publicity plan before Conrad's induction.

Conrad will bid a typical American teen-age girl goodbye with an all-American kiss. Kim MacAfee from the All-American burg of Sweet Apple, Ohio wins the honor. Trouble is, Kim has just been pinned (remember “pinned”?) to Hugo.

The arrival of Birdie in Sweet Apple causes the quiet little town to go into a spin. Conrad decides he want another shot at his youth. Hugo wants Kim and doesn’t want Conrad near. Rose and Albert want to marry. Albert’s mother doesn’t want to give away her no-longer-little boy. The parents of Sweet Apple want their kids to be part of the last generation and not the next. How do all of these story lines weave together and work themselves out? You’ll have to come and see.

Audiences will be dancing in their seats to the rock 'n' roll sounds of the era as our live orchestra and 90-plus cast members sing and dance their way into your heart. The smash musical features dance sequences, and an infectious score, with hit songs including “Put on a Happy Face,” “One Last Kiss,” “Honestly Sincere,” and “What’s the Matter with Kids Today!”

Suffice it to say, the Tony Award-winning “Bye-Bye Birdie” will dazzle, entertain, and excite. Join us for this remarkable family-friendly display of youth and community as we celebrate one of the most colorful and energetic times in American History, live on stage at the .

Performance Dates and Times

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4:30 p.m. Sundays, April 29-May 8 at BCPA. Red Carpet Gala Tickets are available for Saturday, April 30.

Tickets, $15 for adults; $13 for students and seniors, are available at , 105 W. Main St. in downtown Brighton, through any cast member, online through http://brightonmusical.com, or at the door. Call (734) 834-0939 for more information.

This press release was submitted by Barb Binkley of Cooper & Binkley Jewelers.