A lot has changed since the 1950s. These days, poodle skirts are akin to the passenger pigeon and those big cars are replaced by hybrids. But one thing hasn’t changed — audiences love a good time. They’ll get that and more at the Richland High School 37th Annual Musical production of the ’50s era, Tony award-winning “Bye Bye Birdie" February 21-23, 2014.
“’Bye Bye Birdie’ is a true American classic. It’s ageless and beloved by many,” said Scott D. Miller,
executive director and “Bye Bye Birdie” director. “The show includes a lot of great numbers like ‘Put on a Happy Face’ and ‘Telephone Hour,’ and it’s just a lot of fun for our students at Richland High School.” “Bye Bye Birdie” was a big hit on Broadway when it first opened in the spring of 1960 starring Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke and now has gained new followers with a Broadway revival starring John Stamos in 2009.
The play tells the story of Elvis Presley-type rock and roll singer Conrad Birdie, starring Shawn Roth,
who has been drafted into the army. As a farewell to his fans, Conrad is scheduled to sing his agent and songwriter Albert Peterson’s, starring Lee Matthews, “One Last Kiss” on the Ed Sullivan Show. At the end of the show, Conrad will give a real kiss to a lucky girl from his fan club.
The lucky girl turns out to be Kim McAfee, starring Madison Kriak and Kaela Cardarella from Sweet
Apple, Ohio. When Albert and his secretary/love interest Rosie Alvarez, starring Raquel Luciano and
Salena Moran, arrive in Sweet Apple to prepare for the show, however, plans begin to unravel.
Conrad’s hip-thrusting moves make Kim’s new boyfriend Hugo, played by Hunter Bergman,
uncomfortable, while Kim’s father Harry, played by Brandon Rager, might be a little too excited about
the show. Meanwhile, Rosie is beginning to wonder if Albert, for whom she does everything, will ever
leave his mother’s shadow.
This year new to our musical, we decided to double cast some of our leading female roles. “With 56
young performer’s ages 13 to seniors in high school, we felt it was very important to showcase our
student actors and actresses,” stated Miller. The casts will perform different nights, just like on
Broadway, Thursday and Saturday will star Kaela Cardarella as Kim MacAfee, Kayla Dallape as Mrs.
Mae Peterson, Raquel Luciano as Rose Alvarez, and Harmony Eckroth as Ursula Merkle. On Friday and Sunday at our matinee show will star Madison Kriak as Kim MacAfee, Bryana Appley as Mrs. Mae
Peterson, Salena Moran as Rose Alvarez, and Moira Casey as Ursula Merkle.
“We have such a diverse and amazing cast to showcase in this year’s musical production of Bye Bye
Birdie” said Kim Rauch, executive producer. “Our community will be in for a great night of
entertainment and will be very proud of our young actors and actresses who will come together for some good old rock and roll fun!”
Raquel Luciano, a senior, who plays Rosie in the cast is starring in her 20th production at Richland, she shares “I just love the rush when you’re on stage and the feeling that you’re doing something magical for both the audience and the performers!”
Lee Matthews, a senior, who has starred in over 21 productions at Richland plays Albert said the role is a lot different from other roles he has portrayed on the stage. “I’d categorize myself as more of a comedic person and Albert is a really straight-forward guy. I am very excited to conclude my high school acting career with such a great production classic!” Matthews said.
“I love becoming a different person and living a whole different life,” Evan Penrod, a senior whom stars as Maude explains. “There’s not really a wrong answer in acting. It’s freeing. It’s a place where you don’t have to worry about what other people are thinking about you.”
Bye Bye Birdie’s supporting cast list stars Colby Alexander, Bryana Appley, Karsen Bailey, Tara Benito, Hunter Bergman, Lindsey Bost, Alaina Bowser, Abigail Bracken, Aryn Bray, Kaela Cardarella, Moira Casey, Harlan Chandler, Logan Clouse, Kayla Dallape, Lindsey Dona, Harmony Eckroth, Julius Eckroth,Benjamin Fisher, Gabrielle Garcia, Jadon Heider, Nebraska Hernandez, Stacey Hockensmith, Savanna Johns, Sadie Kaminsky, Nadia Khan, Alyssa Klein, Tori Kocsis, Madison Kriak, Kaley Learn, Sarah Letosky, Raquel Luciano, Lauren Ludwig, Shane Malinish, Emily Mantini, Zachary Maser, Lee
Matthews, Salena Moran, Kristen Morello, Mansi Patel, Evan Penrod, Sarah Pitkins, Cassidy Polacek,
Madison Polacek, Chloe Pribicko, Brandon Rager, Morgan Rickley, Shawn Roth, Shay Roth, Alyssa
Rozich, Ashley Swansboro, Brittany Szczepanik, Megan Thomas, Maura Trabold, Meredith Trabold,
Zachary Valkovci, and Paul Zdinak.
The show is produced by Kim Rauch; directed by Scott D. Miller, assisted by Jacob St. Clair; with
musical direction by Jerrod Cannistraci, assisted by Andrea Mulligan; choreography by Janice Yursky; set design by Martha Ringler, sound design by Ben Easler, lighting design by William Sievers, with costume design by Margaretta Borodach, and makeup artist Rachel Zaborowski.
In conjunction with the production, the Richland School District will be welcoming all Gold Card
Members and seniors (+62) living in the Richland School District with dinner and a show. All gold card
members are invited to a free spaghetti dinner on Sunday, February 23 at 12:00 p.m., with complimentary tickets to the show beginning at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are required by calling 814-269-0300.
Performances will take place Friday, February 21, 2014 and Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 7:00 pm, with a matinee on Sunday, February 23, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. at Richland Performing Arts Center, on the campus of Richland High School. All tickets are $9 for regular tickets, $8 for seniors, $5 for students, and gold card members are welcomed complimentary. For information, directions, and to charge tickets by phone, please call 814-269-0300. Tickets are also on sale online at http://www.richlandpac.com. Individuals requesting accommodations for disabilities should contact info@richlandpac.com.
