Catch Bye Bye Birdie On Broadway Before The Run Is Over!

Bye Bye Birdie, also a film, is currently a hit Broadway musical. It is based on a book by Michael Stewart. The lyrics by the talented Lee Adams and music is provided by Charles Strouse.

At first the title was 'Let's go Steady'. This satire on American life is staged in 1958 and is based on the music of the King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the American army in the same year. Ironically, the name "Conrad Birdie" who is the main star of the play is a word play on the name of one of Elvis Presley's rivals, Conway Twitty.

The original Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie won a Tony-award and inspired a London production, along with several reruns and a sequel. It was made into a film in 1963 and a TV production was out in 1995. Many college and high schools regularly choose this musical as part of their drama and theatre efforts.

This musical was initially written as a "happy teenage musical with a difference" and was originally called "Let's go steady". The play was originally about a couple focussing on divorce, almost unheard of that time, but the director was not satisfied. At that time, the media was focussing all its time and efforts on teenage rock n roll idol Elvis Presley and his draft into the US army and subsequent deployment to Germany. The writers then decided to base the play on the life of a popular teenage rock singer who is drafted into the army, and the effect this has on a group of teenagers in a small town in the State of Ohio. The play was rechristened 'Bye Bye Birdie' to correlate with the name of the star character - Conrad Twitty.

The Original Bye Bye Birdie play on Broadway's cast included:
Albert Paterson was played by Dick Van Dyke
Rosie Alvarez was played by Chita Rivera
The role of Conrad Birdie was played by Dick Gautier
Kim MacAfee was played by Susan Watson
Mr.MacAfee and Mrs.MacAfee were played by Paul Lynde and Marijane Maricle respectively
Randolph MacAfee was played by Johnny Borden
Some of the other cast members include Kay Medford, Michael J Pollard, Barbara Doherty, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Jasnick Williams.
Till date Bye Bye Birdie's Broadway Musical has won the following awards and recognition:
Winner of the Tony award for Best Musical
Dick Van Dyke won the Tony award for best actor in a Musical
Chita Rivera won the Tony award for best actress in a musical
It was nominated for Best scenic design for a musical
Winner of the Tony award for best choreography
Tony award winner for Best Direction for a musical
Nominated for Tony award for best conductor and musical director

This is the third time Bye Bye Birdie is being staged on Broadway. The Roundabout theatre company's limited-run production was first staged at Henry Miller's theatre on September 10, 2009 and is expected to run till April 25, 2010.

Given the limited run of the musical, it is a great idea to purchase your tickets in advance through an online retailer who can give you the best options in terms of dates, prices and seating and save you the time and trouble of having to pick up the tickets yourself.
Al writes many articles about concert events around the country including ways to locate Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway Tickets and Reviews for fans. His resources include news and events about the show and different ways to find information on Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway tickets and news online.