'Bye, Bye Birdie' At Holmdel High March 9, 10

HOLMDEL, NJ — The Holmdel Theater Guild at Holmdel High School will present the musical "Bye Bye Birdie" this week.

"Bye Bye Birdie," a loving send-up of the 1960s, small-town America, teenagers, and rock & roll, remains as fresh and vibrant as ever. Teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie has been drafted, so he chooses All-American girl Kim MacAfee for a very public farewell kiss. Featuring a tuneful high-energy score, and a hilarious script, Holmdel’s production is sure to please audiences of all ages. Hit songs include “Put on a Happy Face,” “One Last Kiss,” “One Boy,” “A Lot of Livin’ to Do,” “Kids!” and “Rosie.”

Performances are Friday and Saturday night, March 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Tickets are $12 each, $5 for students/seniors and are available at the door on the night of the performances.

Director Joseph Clores is very excited about this year’s show. He is in his 29th year at Holmdel High School and Birdie will mark his 86th show as director for the school’s dramatic performances. Clores explains that this is third performance of "Bye Bye Birdie" as director, the last one presented back in 2001.

“It is always a crowd-pleaser. The music is delightful, and the story is fun. Plus, preparing for the show has been quite cross-curricular," said Clores. "The kids are getting a kick learning about the history of the Sixties, they hone their speaking skills and vocabulary by learning the vernacular of the day, and they are even brushing up on their anthropology, by learning how to use a rotary dial phone!”

Clores feels that his current cast may be more in tune with modern shows and productions, but he feels that “exposure to musical theater classics is a great learning experience and the performers, and the audience, will truly enjoy the ride.”

Photo of the cast supplied by the Holmdel School District