Bye Bye Birdie set for annual school musical

Blue Curtain revealed their latest musical — Bye Bye Birdie, a relatively unknown musical today that rippled through America at the time of its release.

Bye Bye Birdie, based on a book by Michael Stewart, takes place in 1958 and focuses on the phenomenon popular singer Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the Army in 1957.

“Im very excited it is a classic broadway musical,” musical director Patrick Holcomb said. “In 2020, it’ll be Bye Bye Birdie‘s 60th anniversary. The musical is going to have very high energy, fun characters, and great dance numbers. I feel the musical is definitely going to be successful and the cast we picked are perfect for the roles in the play.”

The teenage drama centers around jealousy, love, and infatuation. Junior AJ Ortiz portrays Kim McAfee, who wins a contest to have teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie (junior Armon Mohajer) perform for her. However, she is distraught when her boyfriend Hugo Peabody (senior Asher Guevara) becomes jealous about this incident. Hugo turns to his friend, Rose Alvarez (senior Danielle Broyles). Rose becomes angry with her boyfriend Albert’s (senior Danny Bass) overbearing mom, Mae (junior Abby Brown). Mae tries to set Albert up with a new girl; Hugo and Rose plot to make Birdie’s last performance terrible.

“I think Bye Bye Birdie is definitely a timeless show,” Bass said. “I’m so excited to take on the role of Albert.. He is such a funny and relatable character I hope to bring to life in a fun way for everyone.”

The Blue Curtain Production is slated to take center stage in February 2020.

“I’m very excited to see what the musical is going to come out like. I saw the real musical, Bye Bye Birdie, and it is a classic,” sophomore Karla De La Cruz said. “I’m looking forward to seeing my friends perform on stage. I think the audience will like the show.”