Our last character post before auditions! We will start with the show openers Albert & Rosie. Albert is very high strung, who happened to be Conrad Birdies agent and is anxious to make another hit before Conrad goes into the Army. He loves Rosie and is caught in the middle between her and his mother, Mae. He is a strong singer. Once play by the lovable Dick VanDyke and Jason Alexander, what a range, no type for this role. :)
His other half: Rosie, is on the edge of ready to be done. She has put up with Albert (and his mother) for 8 years. We learn that she is a strong, Hispanic woman who is fiery, underappreciated, yet patient. Our hopes is that she is a strong singer & dancer. The MacAfee family, I would say is a typical American family for that time period. Starting with the quiet, kind Doris MacAfee. A typical “50’s mom”. Pairing her with the grumpy Harry MacAfee who is easily fed up with his family and Conrad. Comedic, dry comedy would be a plus, he leads two fun songs “Kids” and “A Hymn for Sunday”. Since Randolph, the youngest of the MacAfee’s already has been addressed, we will move onto Kim. As President of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club, she is overjoyed to receive Conrad’s “One Last Kiss”, even though she was just ready to “grow up” and give it all up because of Hugo’s pin. She is a strong character who shows many different emotions throughout the show, building her motivations will be key.
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This week we are focusing on some fun supporting roles. First up is the title name: Conrad Birdie, an Elvis Presley type, over-the-top rock star and teen heartthrob who was recently drafted into the military. Now, Conrad does have tons of personality and charm when on camera. But what we learn is he is not so charming off camera. This character will be a fun one to build and what drives Conrad.
Two teens that are a big part of the show are Hugo Johnson & Ursula Merkle. But close friends of Kim, Ursula being her best WAY over the top friend. Her energy is contagious and yet a bit eyebrow raising, like…”wow”! That’s a way to put that. Hugo is Kim’s recently “pinned” boyfriend. He grows more jealous and desperate as the show goes on, feeling he is losing Kim to Birdie himself. Hugo is a good supporting role that is not dependent on any solos or singing. Speaking of over the top and desperate leads us to Mrs. Mae Peterson, Albert’s mother. She thinks she has Albert’s best intentions in her sights, but goes about it in a naggin, controlling way. She is a very fun comedic character that could have a melodramatic solo, complete with fur coat and “rubbers”....covers for your shoes in the rain. As every other musical, the chorus is the backbone of the show. They fill each and every scene with multiple personalities to watch, little moments & reactions that bring the scene to life. Bye Bye Birdie is filled with a high energy cast. Some of the highest energy roles are found in the Teen chorus. Members of the raucous fanatics of the teen club are: Deborah Sue, Margie, Alice, Nancy, Penelope, Helen, Suzie, all with solos & lines. They are led by Ursula Merkle, Kim’s best friend. She needs to be overflowing with energy and enthusiasm...almost on the edge of crazy. The Teen chorus is also in the biggest dance numbers: “Telephone Hour”, “A Lot of Livin’ to Do”, and both of Conrad’s vigorous, hip swaying, toe tapping rock songs.
Other highlighted roles popping in and out of the show: Gloria Rasputin, someone who Albert’s mom uses to try to replace Rosie. She has a fun solo dance number, doesn’t need to be perfect, just over the top...splits at the end would be a plus! Then there's Maude, the rough bartender who lends an ear and could be a part of a quartet. Randolph MacAfee, Kim’s adorable younger brother, although part of the MacAffee family and is on stage with them all the time, he doesn’t have a ton of lines. He is constantly trying to win the love of his father. Featured parent roles (all details of the characters can be found on the cast page), these parents have lines and take part in the fun song “Kids”. The Mayor & his wife, Mrs. Merkle, Mr. Johnson. Although these roles don’t have solos they get to be caught up in the Conrad fever, which is probably funnier than that of the teen chorus reactions. What a crazy summer we have been through! As schools open up and things are coming along with restrictions and recommendations we have decided to push the fall musical to the spring. With CLHS starting in a hybrid situation it would be hard to hold auditions & rehearsals, not to mention with masks and social distancing.
Right now we are limited to 250 capacity for performances, including cast & crew. With moving the musical to the spring, we are hoping to allow a good amount of kids like we do yearly and still be able to hold live performances for our community with large crowds. This of course will all be more clear as we approach our slotted time. We have set the performance dates: April 22, 23, 24, 25. We know we have other things to work around with the MS play, the Variety show, and concerts, so we are planning on starting rehearsals in February to allow the extra time. Auditions will be around the end of January/beginning of February, we will keep you posted on those specifics. Same as last year, due to programming changes within the district we will be allowing 8th graders to audition. I have updated the page with character roles, but make sure you do your research. It is a very fun, high energy show set in the 50's, so dust off those saddle shoes and let's Rock & Roll. A few staffing changes to announce: Assistant Director- Ian Lexvold Music Director- open...the posting is on the CLHS staffing page, if you know anyone who would fit our team and program make sure to pass the opportunity along! Tech booth- open... Robin, Joleen & Jay are still a part of our team! Woot!! Stay tuned for more info & updates! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email and ask, I may not be able to answer all of them, but I will do my best or seek to find the answer. ~Rachel |
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