Bye Bye Birdie

Bye Bye Birdie is set in the late 1950s and focuses on the frenzy that ensues when rock ‘n’ roll superstar Conrad Birdie is drafted into the Army.

Synopsis

Albert Peterson, his agent, and Rosie DeLeon, Albert’s secretary and girlfriend, concoct a plan for a farewell performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which they hope will provide a financial windfall.

The plan involves Birdie giving a farewell kiss to Kim MacAfee, a teenager from Sweet Apple, Ohio.

The show satirizes the era’s rock ‘n’ roll craze, the American family, and the trials and tribulations of growing up.

About the show

• Written by: Charles Strouse, Lee Adams, Michael Stewart
• Premiered: 1960
• Genres & themes: 1960s, Comedy, Romance, Satire, Two Act
• Setting: 1950s, America, New York City, Ohio

Songs from Bye Bye Birdie

1. An English Teacher
2. The Telephone Hour
3. How Lovely to Be a Woman
4. Put on a Happy Face
5. Normal American Boy
6. One Boy
7. Honestly Sincere
8. Hymn for a Sunday Evening
9. One Last Kiss
10. What Did I Ever See in Him?
11. A Lot of Livin’ to Do
12. Kids
13. Baby, Talk to Me
14. Kids (Reprise)
15. Spanish Rose
16. Rosie