Pope County’s community theater company, Minnewaska Showstoppers, is thrilled to announce they will perform four shows of the feel-good ‘50s musical “Bye Bye Birdie.” Directed by Oliver Rivera, the performances will run during Waterama week, July 27-30. This will be Showstoppers first live theatrical show post-pandemic lockdown. 

“We are excited to get back to the stage. ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ is, without question, one of the most beloved American musicals,” says production manager and Showstoppers board president, Mandy Recker. “It’s fun, light, and entertaining. I think we could all use a little lightness right now!” Recker adds. 

The musical was a surprise hit when it opened on Broadway on April 14, 1960, it played for 607 performances and went on to win five Tony awards – including best musical – and has since become a staple of high school and community theater. 

In the original production, comedian Dick Van Dyke starred as the manager of an Elvis Presley-like teen idol named Conrad Birdie. Drafted into the Army, Birdie is set to perform a special farewell song to a token female fan on television’s immensely popular “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Selected to receive the honor is Kim MacAfee of Sweet Apple, Ohio.

Showstoppers held well-attended auditions in May, filling the principal roles. However, there are a few undemanding roles still available. “We still need of a few adults to play irritated parents of the teenage girls along with a few more high school/early college aged men to hang out with Hugo Peabody and Harvey Johnson. These ensemble roles are some of the most fun ones to do: a lot of fun at practice and performances without the big pressure of learning a lot of lines or having to sing solos,” Recker says.

Cast: Ben Jensen as Conrad Birdie, Dakota Holder as Rosie Alvarez, Sierra Morton as Kim MacAfee, Ethan Eliason as Hugo Peabody, Ross Thorfinnson as Harvey Johnson, Katy Leppa as Mae Peterson and Parker Schmidgall as Albert Peterson.

Technical: Oliver Rivera (director), Mike Odello (orchestration director), Sue Morton (vocal director), Sue Fossen (set design), Parker Schmidgall (Coreographer).

“Bye-Bye Birdie” showtimes and dates: Wednesday, July 27, 7 p.m., Thursday, July 28, 7 p.m., Friday, July 29, 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 30, 5 p.m. 

Tickets for the show are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for kids.