Penn-Trafford musical takes audiences back in time with 1950s show ‘Bye Bye Birdie’

The Penn-Trafford Drama Guild is taking a step back in time with its spring musical “Bye Bye Birdie,” set in a small town in Ohio in 1958.

The show — which will debut Friday — is a 180-degree turn from the drama guild’s production of “The Little Mermaid” last year, said Director Tom Bekavac.

It tells the story of Elvis-like rockstar Conrad Birdie who is drafted into the U.S. Army. Talent agent Albert Peterson and his longtime girlfriend, Rosie, are forced to devise a plan to save Albert’s music company after the loss of their star client.

The two decide to stage a kiss between Conrad and a randomly selected fan, Kim MacAfee, but everything falls apart from there.

Adapting to the historical backdrop and culture of the 1950s required research by the 40-person cast, Bekavac said.

“That was one of my first comments: ‘What did a loaf of bread cost in 1958?’” he said. “I wrote down a whole big list of things that were invented that year.”

Students watched videos and read articles about 1950s entertainment, politics, technology and family structure, said Director Janine Kucinski.

“Ironically, the internet was a really good source of information for these kids,” she said.

Some parts of the show remain equally relevant to today’s youth audiences, Kucinski said, particularly the widespread adoration for big-name celebrities.

“One thing that hasn’t changed is some of the teenagers are rebellious against their parents and don’t believe their parents know what they’re talking about,” Bekavac joked.

As with Penn-Trafford’s previous musicals, “Bye Bye Birdie” was double-casted. Allowing enough time for each cast to adequately rehearse each scene can be a challenge, Bekavac said, but it is worthwhile to showcase all of the talent in the drama guild.

“It’s nice to see from group to group, their individual traits that are different,” Bekavac said. “I always tell them it shouldn’t be cookie cutter. You shouldn’t be your counterpart.”

An iconic piece of musical theater history, “Bye Bye Birdie” is a comedic, entertaining show set against a bright backdrop and costumes, he said.

It is sure to leave audiences singing along to the songs with a smile on their face, Kucinski said.

“I can’t say enough about how talented our kids are and how far they’ve come from beginning of January to now,” she said. “I’m really proud of their work ethic and their character development and just all of the things that go into putting on a great show for their community and their families. I can’t wait for the Penn-Trafford community and beyond to see what they’ve done.”