Le monde des musicals

Musical (1960)

---

Musique: Charles Strouse •
Paroles: Lee Adams •
Livret: Michael Stewart •
Production à la création:

Originally titled Let's Go Steady, the satire on American society is set in 1958. The story was inspired by the phenomenon of popular singer Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the Army in 1957. The rock star character's name, "Conrad Birdie," is word play on the name of Conway Twitty. Twitty is best remembered today for his long career as a country music star, but before that, in the late 1950s, he was one of Presley's rock 'n' roll rivals.

The fictional story takes place in 1958, centering around Conrad Birdie, a hip-thrusting rock and roll superstar akin to Elvis Presley, Conrad's agent and songwriter, Albert Peterson, and Albert's secretary and love, Rose Alvarez (Rose Grant or Rose DeLeon in some versions), who hails from Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Albert finds himself in trouble when Conrad is drafted into the army, so he and Rose come up with a last-ditch publicity stunt to premier one last hit Conrad Birdie record before he is sent to the army. They plan to have Conrad sing Peterson's new song "One Last Kiss" on live television, and give one lucky girl from his fan club a real 'one last kiss' on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' before going off to war.

The lucky girl is chosen randomly from Conrad's national fan club, and it happens to be Kim MacAfee. Rose, Conrad, and Albert set off to her house in Sweet Apple, Ohio to prepare for the event. However, things don't go quite as planned; Kim's father becomes obsessed with the prospect of being on The Ed Sullivan Show alongside his daughter, Kim's boyfriend becomes disastrously jealous of Conrad, and Conrad himself becomes tired of the show business life and tries to teach the kids how to party - ultimately getting himself in trouble with the law.

The producer Edward Padula had the idea for a musical initially titled Let's Go Steady, a "happy teenage musical with a difference." Padula contracted with two writers, and Charles Strouse and Lee Adams wrote seven songs for their libretto. Padula, Strouse and Adams sought Gower Champion as director/choreographer, who until that time had choreographed only a few musicals. (Fred Astaire and Morton DaCosta had already declined.) However, Champion did not like the book and the writers were fired, with Michael Stewart then hired. Stewart wrote an early version titled Love and Kisses, which focused on a couple thinking of divorce, but whose children persuade them to stay together. Champion wanted "something more". "The 'something more' had been right there in the newspaper. On September 22, 1958, rock-and-roll idol Elvis Presley, having been drafted, boarded a ship for eighteen months in Germany.... There was a media circus including Elvis giving a specially selected member of the Women's Army Corps 'one last kiss'". After brainstorming, Stewart and Adams "came up with the idea of a rock-and-roll singer going off to the army and its effect on a group of teenagers in a small town in Ohio." The name of the singer was Elsworth, then changed to "Conway Twitty before we discovered there was already a Conway Twitty who was threatening to sue us, and then, finally, Conrad Birdie."

Let's Go Steady (working title)

Acte I
Overture- Orchestra (There are two overtures one can use. The main one, Overture A, uses film of Conrad Birdie and the Teen Chorus along with a teen trio in the pit orchestra. The alternate overture, Overture B, has a teen trio in the pit orchestra along with a pre-recorded segment of Conrad Birdie singing.)
Opening Curtain- Orchestra
An English Teacher – Rosie
The Telephone Hour – Teenagers
The Telephone Hour (Playoff)- Orchestra
How Lovely to Be a Woman – Kim
Penn Station Transition/We Love You, Conrad! – Orchestra/Teen Trio
Put on a Happy Face (dance with Sad Girl) – Albert
A Healthy, Normal, American Boy – Albert, Rosie, Teen and Adult Chorus
Penn Station to Sweet Apple- Teen and Adult Chorus
Sweet Apple Band- Teen Chorus
One Boy – Kim, Deborah Sue, Alice
One Boy (Reprise) – Rosie
Sweet Apple Station- Orchestra underscoring
Honestly Sincere – Conrad Birdie, Ursula, and Teenagers
Wounded- Ursula, Deborah Sue, and Margie
Hymn for a Sunday Evening – The MacAfee Family & Company
How to Kill a Man (Ballet) – Rosie, Albert, Company
TV Theme (Fanfare)- Orchestra
One Last Kiss – Conrad & Company
A Healthy, Normal, American Boy (Reprise, Act One Finale) – The Company

Acte II
Entr’acte (Like the overtures, there are two Entr'actes. The main one, Entracte A, use stock footage of various forms of communication. The alternate one, Entracte B, simply has the teen trio again in the pit orchestra.)
What Did I Ever See in Him? – Rosie & Kim
What Did I Ever See in Him? (Underscore)- Orchestra
What Did I Ever See in Him? (Reprise)- Rosie
A Lot of Livin’ to Do – Conrad, Kim & Teenagers
Kids – Mr. And Mrs. MacAfee
Kids (Scene Change)- Orchestra
Baby, Talk to Me – Albert & Quartet
Transition to Shriner's - Orchestra
Shriner’s Ballet (dance) – Rosie & Shriners
Shriner's (Playoff)- Orchestra
Glory Hallelujah- Orchestra
Kids (Reprise) – Adults, Mr & Mrs Macafee, Randolph
Lamont Cranston to Ice House (Scene change)- Orchestra
Ice House Livin'- Teen Chorus
An English Teacher (Reprise)- Rosie
Spanish Rose – Rosie
Morning- Orchestra
Hand Car- Teen Chorus girls
Rosie – Rosie & Albert
Finale- Orchestra
Bows and Exit Music- Orchestra

The 2009 revival placed "Kids" after "What Did I Ever See in Him?", and "A Lot of Livin to Do" followed "Kids". Although the reprise of "Kids" was included, it was not listed in the playbill. A finale was added, featuring the song "Bye Bye Birdie" (written expressly for the 1963 movie version of Bye Bye Birdie) sung by the entire cast.

Albert Peterson, Conrad Birdie's manager
Rose "Rosie" Alvarez, his Spanish secretary and long suffering girlfriend
Conrad Birdie, a 1950s rock and roll star a la Elvis Presley
Kim MacAfee, a teenage girl from Sweet Apple, Ohio who is chosen to receive the 'one last kiss' from Conrad Birdie
Mr. MacAfee, Kim and Randolph's befuddled father whose one dream is realized when the family gets to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show
Mrs. MacAfee, Kim and Randolph's mother
Randolph MacAfee, Kim's younger brother
Hugo Peabody, Kim's boyfriend who doesn't like Conrad Birdie
Mrs. Mae Peterson, Albert's crazy mother who hates Rosie
Gloria Rasputin, the woman whom Mae Peterson tries to get Albert with
The Mayor, the mayor of Sweet Apple
The Mayor's Wife, his wife who is secretly a huge Conrad Birdie fan
Harvey Johnson, the town nerd, just can't seem to get a date
Ed Sullivan, the host of the Ed Sullivan Show; an unseen character

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Bye Bye Birdie