JULY 23, 2009 ISSUE
Bye Bye Birdie at Hayes Center through August 2
Jim Ballard (center) plays the role of Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie. The Blowing Rock Stage Company will present the hit Broadway musical at the Hayes Center through Sunday, August 2.
Channeling Elvis, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, actor Jim Ballard will have all the girls swooning as Conrad Birdie in the musical classic Bye Bye Birdie, showing at the Hayes Performing Arts Center through Sunday, August 2.
Show times for the Blowing Rock Stage Company production are 8:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with additional 2:00 p.m. showings on July 25 and August 1; 2:00 p.m. on Sundays; 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays; and 2:00 and 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays.
Bye Bye Birdie made its Broadway debut in 1960 with Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera and Charles Nelson Reilly. The musical comedy features rock ‘n roll teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie and the antics surrounding a publicity stunt on The Ed Sullivan Show, in which Conrad will kiss one lucky girl from Sweet Apple, Ohio, before being inducted into the Army.
Ballard will be familiar to Hayes Center regulars as the actor who portrayed Leo in Leading Ladies and Captain Hook in Peter Pan last summer. Ballard said he enjoys being cast in these over-the-top, exaggerated “character roles.”
“I like those roles—they’re my favorite,” he said.
The Bye Bye Birdie cast is led by (foreground, from left) Chris Kent as Albert Peterson, Jim Ballard as Conrad Birdie and Chrissy Wright as Rose Alvarez.
The leading characters in Bye Bye Birdie are actually those of Birdie’s agent, Albert Peterson (played by Chris Kent) and his girlfriend and secretary, Rose Alvarez (played by Chrissy Wright), Ballard said.
“I just come on, sing a few songs, burp a couple times and leave,” Ballard said. “It’s a good gig.”
Bye Bye Birdie’s strengths include a great musical score, including such recognizable tunes as “Put on a Happy Face,” “How Lovely to Be a Woman” and “Rosie.”
“It has great music and genius book writing,” said Director Michael Wainstein. “‘The Telephone Hour’ is definitely one of the most amazing musical theatre openings ever.”
Ballard said the music includes ‘50s and ‘60s sounds, swing and four- and six-part harmonies.
The Blowing Rock Stage Company production features a cast of 37 people ranging in age from 6 to 60-plus, more than 100 costumes and a set of four large towers that create various scenes.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $14 for students. Special group rates are also available (10 person minimum). Season and Flex Passes can be purchased and used throughout the entire 2009 season. The Hayes Center is located at 152 Jamie Fort Road off Highway 321 in Blowing Rock. For tickets or more information, call 828-295-9627 or click to www.HayesCenter.org.
Want To Go?
Dates: Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, August 2
Times: vary
Location: Hayes Center, Blowing Rock
Cost: $30 adults/$14 students
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