IF YOU GO* What: “Bye Bye Birdie.”* When: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Feb. 27.* Where: thens Arts Center, 320 N. White St., Athens, Tenn.* Admission: $12 adults, $10 students.* Phone: 423-745-8781.* Web site: www.athensartscouncil.org.
Thirty-five singers, dancers and actors of all ages have relocated to fictional Sweet Apple, Ohio, for a production of “Bye Bye Birdie” in Athens, Tenn.
Presented by Athens Community Theater, the production plays the next two weekends in the Sue E. Trotter Theatre at The Arts Center.
Aaron Martel portrays Conrad Birdie, a rock ‘n’ roll singer about to be inducted into the Army. For Birdie’s sendoff, his agent has planned a national publicity blitz in which the heartthrob will bid a typical teenage girl goodbye with an all-American kiss. The town goes into a spin over the visiting celebrity, whose “One Last Kiss” will be delivered on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
In other principal roles are Ray Rogers as Albert Peterson, Birdie’s manager; Jennifer Nunley as Rosie Alvarez, Albert’s secretary; and Zoe Frank as Kim MacAfee, the Sweet Apple girl selected for the kiss. The show is directed by Melonie Carideo, with musical direction by Ellen Kimball.
“Bye Bye Birdie,” with lyrics by Lee Adams and music by Charles Strouse, is one of the most enduring modern musicals. It features “great music, great characters and great satire, all poking fun at the good old American way,” producers said in a news release.
Advance reservations are recommended. Tickets will be sold at the door as available.