Bye Bye Birdie waves goodbye on 24 Jan



Roundabout Theatre Company has announced that Bye Bye Birdie now playing at the Henry Miller's Theatre on Broadway will play its final performance on 24 Jan 2010. musical had been selling tickets through to 25 Apr 2010.

The musical opened at the Henry Miller Theatre on 15 Oct 2009, following previews from 10 Sep, for what was originally announced to be a limited engagement through to 10 Jan 2010.

Bye Bye Birdie has sold at over 90% capacity each week throughout the run of the production.

Quote from Todd Haimes (Artistic Director of the Roundabout): "We had hoped to keep the show running into the Spring, however sales are not strong enough after the departure of our principal actors. We made a decision to end the production on a high note. I am happy that we have been able to extend the production two weeks beyond the initial run."

In Bye Bye Birdie, the exuberant rock n' roll musical comedy, it's 1960 and hip-swingin' teen idol superstar Conrad Birdie (Nolan Gerard Funk) has been drafted into the army. Birdie's manager Albert (John Stamos) and his secretary Rosie (Gina Gershon) have cooked up a plan to send him off with a swell new song and one last kiss from a lucky teenage fan... on "The Ed Sullivan Show"!

The musical opened to mostly negative reviews: "painful example of misapplied talent" (NY Times); "bumbling, badly cast" (NY Daily News); "a triumph of lovable silliness"(Bloomberg); "boring revival"
(NewsDay); "milks this trifle for all its breezy charm"
(USA Today); "thoroughly mediocre" (Hollywood Reporter); "Warmed-over apple pie and flat soda pop, anyone?" (Variety).

Directed & choreographed by Robert Longbottom, Bye Bye Birdie has a book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams and music by Charles Strouse.

The musical's principal cast features John Stamos (Albert Peterson), Gina Gershon (Rose Alvarez), Bill Irwin (Mr. Harry Macfee), Jayne Houdyshell (Mrs. Mae Peterson), Dee Hoty (Mrs. MacAfee), Matt Doyle (Hugo Peabody), Molly Ephraim (Ursula Merkle), Jake Evan Schwencke (Randolph MacAfee), Allie Trimm (Kim MacAfee) and Nolan Gerard Funk (Conrad Birdie).

Bye Bye Birdie design team includes Andrew Jackness (Sets), Gregg Barnes (Costumes), Ken Billington (Lights), Acme Sound (Sound) and David Chase (Music Supervisor).

Bye Bye Birdie received the 1961 Tony Award for Best Musical and features the songs "Put on A Happy Face," "Kids," "Spanish Rose," "The Telephone Hour" and "A Lot of Livin' To Do."

Nolan Gerard Funk

Originally published on

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