It’s amazing how after 46 years, “Bye Bye Birdie” still has the ability to put on a happy face. On Friday, it put smiles on hundreds of faces at a festive though uneven staging at Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center.
“What’s the matter with kids today?” this venerable musical asks. Not a thing at Town Hall, of late a petri dish for the next generation of young stars. This “Birdie” is a virtual coming-of-age party for Melissa Benoist, a winning Arapahoe High junior who plays Kim, the 15-year-old fan randomly selected to receive an Elvis-like rocker’s “One Last Kiss” before entering the Army.
Right now, Benoist’s immediate concern is probably summer vacation. But if stardom is on her wish list, it’s just a matter of time. And in the smaller roles of Hugo, Ursula and Harvey, youngsters Philip Martin, Eve Lowinger and Will Seefried were last seen hustling down Main Street with the show they’ve pilfered in tow.
“Birdie” is pure generation-gap, poodle-skirt fun, but director Brian Walker-Smith’s adults don’t fare quite as well as his kids, perhaps because most effort has been invested in big dance numbers such as “Telephone Hour” and “One Last Kiss” at the expense of character work. Stacie Jackson and Jim Miller shine as Albert and Rose, the guy with a gal who wants him to settle down and become an English teacher. But together, they lack a spark.
The gold-jacketed elephant in the room is the casting of Jerry Cunningham, a talented man who is Elvis-like in sideburns only. Elvis was 23 when he was drafted, but this actor who plays Conrad Birdie has two decades on Benoist. There should never be such an obvious age difference between Conrad and the teen he’s been sent to kiss if you’re worrying whether statutory laws might be in effect.
Jan Giese is a charming Mae, the scheming mama who wants to keep her boy to herself. Giese employs great vocal mannerisms, shining brightest on the rarely performed “A Mother Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” which was developed for a 1995 TV presentation. But in this role, the meaner you are, the more hilarious you are.
Still the stage is practically bursting with its energetic cast of 30, which is likely why there is no live music. Then again, “Birdie” made history in 1960 as the first Broadway musical to use prerecorded voices.
“Birdie” – originally titled “Let’s Go Steady” – is so much innocent fun, it’s easy to see how it has become the most produced amateur show in American theater history. It’s one for the ages. But in Littleton, it’s those under age 21 who rule.
** 1/2 | “Bye Bye Birdie”
MUSICAL|Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., Littleton|Directed by Brian Walker-Smith||THROUGH MAY 7|7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays|2 hours, 45 minutes|$18-$32|303-794-2787
