Lee Adams - Bye Bye Birdie (1960 Original Broadway Cast)

A lighthearted romp reflecting the Elvis revolution, Bye Bye Birdie follows Albert Peterson (a pre-Mary Poppins Dick Van Dyke), the manager of rock & roller Conrad Birdie (Dick Gautier), who is sweeping through the town of Sweet Apple on a publicity stunt surrounding his being drafted into the Army. Meanwhile, Albert's faithful but exasperated secretary (Chita Rivera) hopes he will give up show business to settle down with her and become a respectable English teacher. In Charles Strouse and Lee Adams's energetic and tuneful score, Van Dyke sings the standard "Put On a Happy Face," the high schoolers are high schoolers ("A Lot of Livin' to Do," "The Telephone Hour," "One Boy") and bewilder their parents ("Kids"), Gautier thrusts his hips ("Honestly Sincere," "One Last Kiss"), and homage is paid to that icon of home entertainment, Ed Sullivan ("Hymn for a Sunday Evening"). Bye Bye Birdie won the 1961 Tony for Best Musical, and Van Dyke reprised his role in the 1963 film version. The 2000 remastering features outstanding clarity as well as a bonus track of Strouse himself introducing and singing "Put On a Happy Face" at a Smithsonian lecture in 1978. --David Horiuchi Amazon.com

Better Than the Movie Soundtrack

Bye Bye Birdie (1960 Original Broadway Cast) Many of the classic Broadway musicals of mid-20th century are available as both movie soundtracks and as Broadway cast albums. Though all are enjoyable, the cast albums sound more natural, more enthusiastic, and more spontaneous than the (later) movie soundtracks. Probably that is because the cast albums were recorded shortly after the show opened on Broadway. The original cast album of "Bye Bye Birdie" is in this category. And there is more background about the musical. The excellent and lengthy liner notes recount the story of how the musical was written and developed into the evergreen musical that it became. October 9, 2007

Great 60's Musical!

Great fun! Dick Van Dyke at his best, Chita Rivera is glorious, Paul Lynde is a hoot! Classic 60's musical, light hearted and entertaining. Under the direction of the late, great Gower Champion, it proved to be a masterpeice of an American musical. Good score, fun book, terrific performances all added up to make it the hit it was. Sadly the film (despite Van Dyke and Lynde recreating their roles) is an abomination. While the recent TV production with Jason Alexander tries valiantly, it doesn't quite capture all the fun. Only Vanessa Williams shines in that production. But enjoy the original cast recording, and the new re-release is wonderful!! September 1, 2007

Five stars is not enough!

I'm acting in my summer stock company's production of "Bye Bye Birdie," this summer. This show has been one of my favorites since, years ago, when I was in High School, I was sick one day and my Mom rented it for me. It has some really great songs in it. My favorite is "The Telephone Hour." It's August already and I still love it. "One Boy, One Special Boy," makes me cry every time I hear that song. If you like fifties music, definitely buy this cd and the movie too. You won't go wrong with either one. August 3, 2007

Energy proliferates

I saw the live version, albeit with the Australian cast, many years ago. It comprised a wonderfully vibrant, energetic cast. This version had just as much tuneful energy as the live show. I must say, though, that I was disappointed that some of what was in the live show was omitted. Regardless, it is still an exciting production. May 13, 2007

It's not the best--but buy it anyway!

Because of the nature of the musical, there is something not as good about it being done by professionals. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous, but it's true. You will not see, or hear "Bye Bye Birdie" done better than by pimply awkward teenagers at your local high school who can just barely stay on key. Seriously. The charm of this musical is you don't have to be GREAT to be in it. With that said, I still recommend this album. It's fun. Not as great as some other musicals (I recommend "Cinderella," "The Fantasticks," "Guys and Dolls," or "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown"), but a good deal better than others (okay, I'll spare you a list of the ones I hate). March 31, 2007

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