Look up in Woodland. Is it a plane? A satellite, or maybe a shooting star? No, it’s “Bye Bye Birdie.”
Yes, the enduringly popular and often-staged musical has nested at the Woodland Opera House (340 Second St.), running weekends through July 10.
“The story of ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ was inspired by the phenomenon of Elvis being drafted in the 1950s,” Woodland Opera reminds us. “It follows teen heartthrob, Conrad Birdie, as he prepares to join the Army.
“To properly bid farewell to his adoring public, Birdie travels to a small town in Ohio for his final television appearance and to share an on-air kiss with young local, Kim McAfee. Needless to say, the town is in an excited uproar to prepare for his arrival, which leads to a whole lot of laughs.”
Dick Van Dyke and Ann-Margret starred in Hollywood’s 1963 film version of the musical, which on the Woodland stage is being directed and choreographed by Staci Arriaga.
Tickets, available online, are $7 to $25 for the performances, which will be at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Next up at Woodland Opera House’s main stage, Aug. 5–28, is “In the Heights.” Here’s the scoop on that show:
“From Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the Broadway phenomenon ‘Hamilton,’ comes the Tony-Award winning Best Musical about family, community and life in Washington Heights – a place where windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams, pressures, and where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions to keep.”
