Lori Zlotoff / Shari Cohen Starring Moms in Bye Bye Birdie

Opening night for The Community Synagogue Theater Company’s production of Bye Bye Birdie on Sunday Jan 31, was a complete sell-out! There are only two more performances on Thurs Feb 4 and Sat Feb 6 for this production which is receiving rave reviews. An audience member said, “The acting was excellent and vocals superb. The staging was very fluid, and scene changes smooth. I guess you can tell we thought it was a lot of fun.” On opening night, the cast enjoyed a long standing ovation and then invited the Angels and Supporters of the production on stage for a champagne toast.

Winner of 4 Tony awards, including Best Musical, Bye Bye Birdie is the perfect show for the whole family. Inspired by Elvis Presley, Bye Bye Birdie takes place in the 1950’s when teen idol superstar Conrad Birdie gets drafted into the army. Birdie’s manager Albert and his secretary Rosie cook up a scheme to have Birdie sing their new hit song and get one last kiss from a lucky teenager fan, Kim on “The Ed Sullivan Show”.

Lori Zlotoff, Executive Producer is portraying the Mayor’s Wife and also is the Mom to Abigail who is portraying Kathy/Sad Girl. There are many challenges juggling all these roles, but Lori does an incredible job.

“Working on the show and being in the show and being a parent of a child in the show can often require parts of me at the same time, which can be challenging. However, I am so invested in the experience and feel like it has enhanced so many different parts of my life that I really can’t imagine it any other way!”

On stage Lori portrays the Mayor’s wife, and from this unique perspective she gets to watch Abigail perform.

“I can’t describe to you what it’s like to watch my daughter on stage. It is a visceral experience -- I feel like I’m watching myself at times, and yet I also feel like she’s doing something so completely separate from me - I am in awe of her!” Lori proudly stated “Abigail has incredible intuition and attention to detail - she absorbs everything going on around her and is confident in her performance. It’s a joy to watch her -- and since she plays the sad girl, I try hard not to smile as she does her scene, because I know it will cause her to break character and smile back at me!”

One responsibility for an Executive Producer is the important decision of picking the perfect musical to produce. Lori talked about why she choise Bye Bye Birdie.

“My first choice was Bye Bye Birdie for our inaugural production, because I think it has wide audience appeal, is an approachable musical for all types of theater goers and I have fond memories of watching Ann-Margaret and Dick Van Dyke in the movie version when I was a kid.”

Shari Cohen stars as Rosie, which is the role that was originated by Chita Rivera in the original stage production. The character of Rosie is the brains behind the PR stunt to have Conrad Birdie sing hit song written by her boyfriend Albert on The Ed Sullivan Show. Shari is a busy mom to three children and in addition juggles many responsibilities and commitments.

“I’ve truly enjoyed rehearsing and working on Bye Bye Birdie these past 4 months! The biggest challenge for me has been that I’m performing in another production, as Velma von Tussle in “Hairspray” at the same time! Juggling both rehearsal and show schedules hasn’t been easy, with my 3 children’s busy schedules as well, but well worth it! It has been an absolute delight to work with the incredible cast and crew of Bye Bye Birdie.”

When talking about the experience of working in community theater, Shari said “I’ve met and gotten to know so many talented and wonderful people from our congregation, The Community Synagogue, and from the Port Washington community. The professionalism, talent and sense of community I experienced preparing for this production of Bye Bye Birdie tops the greatest musical theater productions and live television experiences I’ve enjoyed in many years.”

Shari shares the stage with her daughter Alexa Cohen who is portraying Debra Sue. Debra Sue is one of the tweens of the small town who is a member of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club. Alexa said “My favorite number in Bye Bye Birdie is ‘Honestly Sincere.’ I absolutely love dancing and acting in that scene! The best part of the experience has been making so many new friends in the cast.”

Both Shari and Alexa have had a lot of fun rehearsing and performing on the stage together. Shari beamed “The highlight of this experience for me has been sharing the stage with my daughter Alexa for the first time! It’s been so wonderful to be able to share our love of theater with each other. “

Bye Bye Birdie has a cast of over 35 actors of all different ages and there are many different families represented in the cast. There are father/daughter, sister/brother, father/son, mother/daughter, husband/wife and one husband/sister/sister-in-law combination. Bye Bye Birdie is most definitely a family show in so many ways!

Don’t miss seeing this diverse and large cast that will also feature some surprise guest appearnaces from The Community Synagogue. The hummable score of hit songs like “Put on A Happy Face” and “Kids” will be accompanied by a full orchestra. Performances will be at The Landmark on Main 232 Main Street in Port Washington on Thursday February 4th at 7:00 PM and Saturday February 6th at 8:00 PM. Tickets for Bye Bye Birdie are $27.50 to $42.50 for premium seating. Currently premium seating is sold out and regular seats are selling fast, so don’t delay. For more information on tickets, advertising or sponsorships please visit www.landmarkonmainstreet.org or call 516-883-3144 ext 359.

Founded in 1952, The Community Synagogue serves 720 families in Port Washington, NY is Port Washington’s largest Reform congregation. It is a place of openness to all, where each person can connect, where comfort and caring matter. It is a place of strength and beauty, spirituality and learning, creative possibility, a place filled with God’s spirit and human kindness.

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