October 16, 2009
'Bye Bye Birdie' crashes into brutal Broadway reviews
 The first Broadway revival of “Bye Bye Birdie” opened Thusday to disastrous reviews, with many of the critics accusing the director and much of the cast of sucking the life out of the bubbly Elvis-era musical.
The Post’s Michael Riedel sniffs that theater officials think the show “perfect for out-of-town families who pay scant attention to reviews.” And true, you’re not likely to see publicity materials quoting the Journal’s jab that “the Roundabout’s revival of “Bye Bye Birdie” is the worst-sung musical I’ve ever seen on Broadway.”
Yet among the brutal reviews, Bloomberg News loved it and New York magazine calls it “mostly wonderful.”
John Stamos and Gina Gershon see few kind words from their critics, though 14-year-old Allie Trimm (as Conrad Birdie fan club president Kim MacAfee) is often lauded as the one with the best pipes in the show.
The Roundabout Theater production of “Bye Bye Birdie” was directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom. The cast also includes Bill Irwin, Jayne Houdyshell and Nolan Gerard Funk. The musical, which first played Broadway in 1960, has music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams and a book by Michael Stewart.
“Bye Bye Birdie” tickets are on sale through April 25 for performances at the new Henry Miller’s Theatre, 124 W. 43rd St., map. Regular tickets are priced from $86.50 to $141.50.
The “Bye Bye Birdie” reviews:
New York Times - “Directed and choreographed by Mr. Longbottom (“Side Show”) — with a cast led by John Stamos, Gina Gershon and Bill Irwin — ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ may be the most painful example of misapplied talent on Broadway since the Roundabout’s production of “Hedda Gabler,” starring Mary-Louise Parker, last season.
Variety - “The show retains its corny charms and a bunch of tuneful songs, which might be enough for undiscerning family audiences; others will struggle to identify much authentic flavor in its aggressive blandness.”
Hollywood Reporter - “Unfortunately, the actual production is thoroughly mediocre; a misdirected, miscast, sluggish mishmash of a normally effervescent musical that probably can be seen to more entertaining effect in any of myriad high school productions that occur annually.”
Post - “Under director-choreographer Robert Longbottom, this “Birdie” has been completely drained of fun and energy.”
Associated Press - “Stamos gives a bland, low-key performance, one that lacks the nerdish comic charm Albert should possess. What is more important, the actor doesn’t have the singing and dancing chops to pull off the delightful Charles Strouse-Lee Adams score, which is studded with such songs as ‘Put on a Happy Face’ and ‘Baby, Talk to Me.’”
New York magazine - “Robert Longbottom’s colorfast, mostly wonderful new production doesn’t pollute this gorgeous void with anything fussily substantive or excessively self-aware. “
Bloomberg - “Still, the revival has, for Albert, the elastic John Stamos, a worthy successor to Dick Van Dyke; for Rose, a somewhat less terpsichorean but spirited actress and singer, Gina Gershon. Lesser-known Nolan Gerard Funk is a serviceable Conrad, Dee Hoty a genial Doris, and assorted kids and parents a game and well-sung chorus.”
Daily News - “Stamos and Gershon have done musicals, including ‘Cabaret,’ but they’re limited singers and dancers. Both are surprisingly robotic. It’s painful watching them execute Longbottom’s lame moves and hack through roles Dick Van Dyke and Chita Rivera made famous.”
Wall Street Journal - “Robert Longbottom’s brisk staging and clever choreography flow together seamlessly. The quick-change space-age sets, designed by Andrew Jackness, look as though they’d been swiped from the warehouse of a late-’60s TV variety show. Jonathan Tunick’s new orchestrations evoke Nelson Riddle and Count Basie with smoothly swinging exactitude. The costumes are colorful, the chorus fabulous, the pit band hip. So what’s the catch? Just this: Only one of the stars can sing.”
Newsday - “‘Bye Bye Birdie’ has not been on Broadway since the original hit in 1960. And on the basis of the busy and boring revival chosen to open the new Henry Miller’s Theatre, the absence is easy to explain.”
Steve on Broadway - “As for Roundabout, I have little doubt that once their subscriber base finishes seeing it, they’ll indeed be saying Bye Bye Birdie.”
A few more reviews can be found at Critic-O-Meter roundup, where the cumulative grade is D+.
Earlier: $10 tickets to ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ preview on Broadway
October 16, 2009 10:26 AM in Broadway, Kids, Midtown
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