Imagine for a moment if Justin Bieber, overwhelmed with a sense of patriotism and duty, volunteered for a year of military service in Afghanistan. Before he leaves, his publicist and manager organize a farewell performance on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” where the teen idol performs a new song and gives one lucky girl a goodbye kiss.
Now, think about the girl — does she want to be kissed? What do her parents think? How does her boyfriend feel about her necking with a celebrity?
Take that plotline back to 1960 and you get “Bye Bye Birdie” — the Tony-award winning musical about a teen idol, a lá Elvis Presley, who’s drafted into the army, and the girl who gets his last smooch.
Songs like “Put on a Happy Face,” “The Telephone Hour” and “Spanish Rose” will leave everyone humming at this family-friendly production, running at the Hale Centre Theatre Fridays and Saturdays through August 25.
DETAILS >> 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 20 and 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 21; runs through Aug. 25. Hale Centre Theatre, 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert. $24 for adults, $10 for children 6-18. (480) 497-1181 or www.haletheatrearizona.com.
Contact writer: (480) 898-5629 or sperrault@evtrib.com
DrJCA1 posted at 9:01 pm on Thu, Jul 19, 2012.
Many years ago, we had terrific musicals like Bye Bye Birdie. The golden age of Broadway has long been gone. Most of the entertainment nowadays is pure trash, whether musicals, drama, or comedy. Talent is in very short supply with an occasional good show coming along. The show is excellent and fun for the family. Go see it. I wish I were back already in the Phoenix area. I miss all of you, known or not. I will be retiring back these in short order however.