Bye Bye, Birdie: Original Television Cast Recording (1995)

My Connection and Why This Recording
I might as well start with the first show I ever got to perform in.  I made my musical theatre debut in the ensemble of Bye Bye Birdie at Crestwood-Kirkwood Youth Theatre back in 2001. It seemed like the logical next step since I was the only male in my school choir at the time.  One very frightened thirteen year old went into that audition room, and it has been downhill ever since. That being said, I absolutely adore this show. I was raised on all of the classic movie musicals of the mid-century, and Bye Bye Birdie was one of the bests.  That original film was brilliant, with Dick van Dyke and Paul Lynde recreating their stage roles with relative newcomer Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, Maureen Stapleton, and teen heartthrob Bobby Rydell.

Then I am cast in the show, and I am confronted by an irrefutable fact: the original movie deviates far too much from the original source material. Several songs are lost, and plotlines have been re-evaluated.  So I go into these rehearsals fresh as the driven slush: I know the songs and the characters, but I'm learning a brand new show.  It's refreshing, it's exhilarating, it's Birdie.  I loved this show before, and I continue to love it today.  I love it so much, in fact, I proceed to perform in it a total of 5 times.  I don't want to think about how many times I've had to listen to "We Love You, Conrad".  I'm sure the total is up in the thousands by this point.

The reason I chose this show is simple: it was the first musical I ever performed.  My rationale for this recording is a bit more involved.  Down the line, I'm sure to do a post on the original Broadway cast recording.  For this I am certain.  However, I have a lot of alternate cast recordings and I often enjoy them over their respective OBCs.  In the case of Bye Bye Birdie, I wanted to do a cast recording that not many people know.  It has its faults, but the performances by Broadway stalwarts Tyne Daly, Vanessa Williams, and Marc Kudisch make this production shine.

Background and Original Cast
Though the show is immensely popular for regional and amateur companies, it never had a Broadway revival until 2009.  There was a questionable sequel to the show, Bring Back Birdie, that opened on Broadway in 1981, but even starring Donald O'Connor and OBC star Chita Rivera, the show barely lasted four performances.  The closest we came to a revival was a National tour in 1990 thru June 1991 directed by Gene Saks.  This tour starred Tommy Tune as Albert, Ann Reinking as Rosie, Marc Kudisch as Conrad Birdie, and a young Susan Egan and Steve Zahn as Kim and Hugo.  This tour was a surprise hit, and even briefly played the Muny Opera in St. Louis.

When the idea came about to make a television production, Saks once again was seated in the director's chair.  The project came about after Bette Midler's televised production of Gypsy aired on CBS the previous Christmas.  Executives at ABC relished the idea of the classic musical airing for their network, so in came Saks.  With him, he brought Ann Reinking as choreographer and his tour Conrad, Marc Kudisch.

Interestingly enough, Birdie would start a new trend for ABC: the televised musical.  Long before NBC made The Sound of Music: LIVE, ABC already had four productions under their belts.  Leading off with Birdie, they followed it up with Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (starring Brandy, Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters, and Paolo Montalban), Annie (with Victor Garber, Kathy Bates, Audra MacDonald, and Alan Cumming), and Meredith Willson's The Music Man (starring Matthew Broderick, Victor Garber, Kristen Chenoweth, and Molly Shannon).  It's strange to think, but the random success of these airings might have led to our most recent broadcasts.


Original Cast
Albert Peterson: Jason Alexander
Rose Alvarez: Vanessa Williams
Mrs. Mae Peterson: Tyne Daly
Conrad Birdie: Marc Kudisch
Kim Macafee: Chynna Phillips
Mr. Macafee: George Wendt
Mrs. Macafee: Sally Mayes
Randolph Macafee: Blair Slater
Ursula Merkle: Brigitta Dau
Gloria Rasputin: Vicki Lewis
Hugo Peabody: Jason Gaffney
Sad Face Girl: Angela Brydon

Synopsis¹

For a detailed synopsis of the show, please click here

Song By Song 

• 1) Main Title (Bye Bye Birdie) 
•  Right from the beginning, we know that this will take an interesting turn. Starting with the "We Love You, Conrad" theme played on a solo electric guitar, the orchestra kicks in with the title track "Bye Bye Birdie", sung by a chorus of screaming teenage girls. This song was written for the original film, instead of the stage show, but it has become one of the most recognizable themes of the show. From there, the girls cut out as the band segues into Conrad's big hit "Honestly Sincere".  After this, the girl return to finish out the title track. 
  
  This is a very different opening for those familiar with the show.  The Broadway overture included several songs from the show, and they were fully orchestrated for a standard Broadway pit at the time: strings, reeds, brass, etc.  For this television broadcast, that opening went out the window.  Instead, focus was put on the rock and roll, which was never the case.  The show was written with an adult outsider's perspective on rock.  Charles Strouse and Lee Adams were commenting on the style of the period, but they were not fully invested in the sound.  They gave 1960 audiences a traditional overture, with little to no emphasis on the rock and roll that drove their story along.  With a new orchestrator, we now delve into the world of Conrad Birdie.  Gone are the woodwinds and stirring strings; instead, we get pulsing basses and rousing guitars.
• 2) An English Teacher
•  For those that only know the original film, this song comes a little bit out of left field.  No longer is Albert destined to be a chemistry teacher, with a revolutionary miracle pill called Speed-Up.  Instead, he gave up his dream of teaching English at the bequest of his mother.  Together, they form Almaelou Music, where Conrad is his star attraction. Vanessa Williams does beautiful work with the song.  While I adore Chita Rivera (the original Broadway Rosie), Williams comes across warmer, and you can see how she'd wait for Albert all these years.
• 3) The Telephone Hour
•  Long before group chats and texting, there was this thing called a telephone.  You rotated a dial of number corresponding to individual homes and residences...  I'm joking, but I'm not far from the truth.  The listener is treated to the latest gossip as every teenager in town passes the news the Kim Macafee has been pinned to Hugo F. Peabody.  The idea of pinning might seem a bit ritualistic nowadays, but it was a true sign of commitment in the post-war years: " 'a fraternity member gives his fraternity pin to a woman in a sorority, symbolizing that he values his girlfriend more than his house.” This symbolizes a high form of commitment, and some might see it as a pre-engagement gesture." ² You're essentially getting engaged to be engaged.
  
  "The Telephone Hour" is probably the most consistent song from recording to recording.  The one noticable difference concerns the archetypal nerd of the show, Mister Harvey Johnson.  Harvey keeps calling various ladies to find a date.  Normally he'll call Penelope Ann Henkle, Deborah Sue Miller, and Charity Garfein.  Instead, we're treated to a phone call to Ursula Merkle in lieu of Penelope Ann.  It's a welcome change because normally Ursula has no solo singing moment in the entire show.  Though her solo is small, it's still mighty and fits her character.
• 4) How Lovely to Be a Woman
•  This number is where I find a flaw in the casting.  In the original lyrics, Kim sings
  
  "When you're a skinny child of fifteen,
   Wide with braces from ear to ear,
   You doubt that you will ever be appealing.
   Then Hallelujah! You are sixteen
   And the braces disappear..."
  
  The fact is Chynna Phillips was 27 at time of filming. Even though they changed the ages in the song to sixteen and seventeen, she still proves to read older than any of the other "teenagers" in the film.  Vocally, there isn't anything wrong with her performance.  But to me, she just has an older sound than what Kim tends to have.
• 5) Put On a Happy Face
•  This is the first time in the movie we get to hear Jason Alexander sing, and I personally believe it is well worth the wait.  Albert is singing to a young Birdie fan who is worried that she'll be too old for Conrad by the time he gets out of the army.  What follows is Albert's attempts to make her laugh, smile, and just have fun. While we can hear some of the vocal attempts Alexander uses to make Sad Girl smile, this number is even better to watch.  Alexander proves himself to be a more than competent dancer, and the number is truly a highlight of the production.
• 6) A Healthy, Normal American Boy
•  Another song from the stage show that didn't make it into the 1963 film, "...American Boy" gives us a glimpse into the life of Conrad Birdie before we ever hear him sing a note or say a word.  Rosie and Albert are battling the reporters, trying to protect the image of their money maker.  One of the best parts is to hear them give completely contradictory stories of how they discovered Conrad: Rosie gives a sob story about how he was left by missionary parents in Indochina.  Meanwhile, Albert paints the image of Conrad as a good old boy, raised on a genteel southern plantation.
• 7) One Boy
•  With the arrival of Conrad in Sweetapple, Hugo (of Hugo and Kim) is considerably nervous. After all, he'd just given his pin to Kim earlier that week, and now she is all set to kiss Conrad on the Sullivan show.  These circumstances would cause any boy considerable grief.  Phillips does a fine job with the song, lovingly letting Hugo that he has nothing to worry about.  After all, she only admires Birdie "as one admires a far-distant and unattainable ideal."  Doesn't that just make you feel warm and fuzzy.
• 8) Let's Settle Down
• This song was written for the early 1990s tour starring Tommy Tune and Ann Reinking. It ended up replacing Rosie's verse of "One Boy", and it sounds great as done by Vanessa Williams. The listener gets a proper insight into Rosie's wants and dreams from Albert.  It might not be the greatest song in the show, but I believe it strengthens Rosie's character. 
• 9) Honestly Sincere
•  Not counting the "Main Titles", this is our first rock song in the show.  Even with the twanging guitars, it starts off very simply, until Conrad puts his whole pelvis into it.  Kudisch shines with this number, and it's very understandable why he was asked to recreate his performance from the national tour.  Listen to the screaming teens in the background.  This was a (supposedly) dangerous sound, and the adults were right to be afraid.
• 10) Hymn for a Sunday Evening
•  While Wendt's casting makes more sense than Phillips, he ends up coming across very subtle and muted.  It's incredibly difficult to live up to Paul Lynde's brilliant performance on Broadway and in the movie, especially on this song, an ode to the god of Sunday night television, Mr. Ed Sullivan. It's a bit of a shame, especially since Wendt has done some lovely stage work, including Edna Turnblad in Hairspray and Santa in Elf the Musical.  Unfortunately it doesn't come across in this performance.
• 11) One Last Kiss
•  This song is meant to be Conrad's final hit before he heads off to the Army, and it's the second rock & roll song we get as a listener/audience.  It very much fits a mold, with its simplistic chord progressions and repetitive lyrics.  Strouse and Adams are very much trying to make a point with this song.  Teenagers of the fifties loved the simplicity of songs like this, but adults were always quick to point out the lack of originality.  Gone were the elegant lyrics of Porter and Gershwin.  Instead, we're left with the writings of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry.
• 12) What Did I Ever Seen in Him
•  After all the hysteria at the Sullivan broadcast, Kim and Rosie have decided to let go of their former flames, and decidedly embrace the idea of the single life.  Another song that was cut from the 1963 film, Williams shines yet again, and elevates Phillips at the same time.  It's a cute song, and serves its purpose.  Kim is about to go off the rails, thanks to Rosie's advice.
• 13) A Lot of Livin' to Do
•  Of Conrad's big songs, this one can be a little confusing.  It is the only song that is properly integrated into the show; "Honestly Sincere" and "One Last Kiss" are diegetic, meaning they are actual performances.  The characters are making the choice to sing, and everyone hears them singing.  For "Lot of Livin' to Do", Conrad is trying to make the most of his last night in town, and Kim is looking for some sort of thrill to prove that she is a mature woman of the world.  Unfortunately, she may get more than she bargained for.  Once again, Kudisch comes across charming, giving the song the needed swagger.  He may not be Elvis, but he's not too far off.
• 14) Kids
•  Once again, Wendt has big shoes to fill with this song.  However, this one comes across better than "Hymn to a Sunday Evening."  His wry humor and dry delivery give off a more curmudgeonly Macafee, but you feel for the guy.  His daughter has run off with rock & roll rebel.  He has every reason to be curmudgeonly.
• 15) Spanish Rose
•  If you haven't read the synopsis yet, let me explain this real quick: Albert's mother repeatedly derides Rosie for being Spanish, though she was born in Pittsburgh.  They cleaned up a lot of Mae's barbs for the broadcast, but this song still comes across horribly without a latina Rosie.  Chita Rivera sold this song beautifully in the original Broadway production, and Williams does the same.  Strangely enough, Williams also succeeded Rivera in the original production of Kiss of the Spider Woman. 
• 16) Baby, Talk to Me
•  As I've grown older, I've learned to appreciate this song more.  It has turned into one of my favorites in the show, and Jason Alexander is remarkably charismatic as he tries to win Rosie back over a phone call.  In a change from the original arrangement, Albert ends the song on the sustained high note as the quartet of bar patrons finishes the song underneath him.  Beautiful harmonies and a plaintive request for his love to come back, Alexander and the cast make this one of the highlights of the production and recording.
• 17) A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore
•  While there are a few new songs written for this production, this was not one of them.  "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore" has been in the show from the beginning, and was never properly recorded.  Mae Peterson is a formidable force, and Tyne Daly brings her A-game to the role.  She was a former Mama Rose, after all, and you can hear some of that in her delivery of this song.  Also, Adams outdid himself with the lyrics.  The image of Mae "lying on top of a sanitation truck bound for the City Dump" make me laugh every time I think of it.
• 18) A Giant Step
•  This is the last of the new songs.  Written for the Tommy Tune led revival in the early 90s, Albert celebrates finally getting out from under his mother's thumb.  For the first time in his life, he has full control of his choices, and he chooses to be with Rosie.  It's not the greatest piece, and it replaces a wonderful scene between Albert and Rosie.  Nevertheless, Jason Alexander does a fine job with the song.
• 19) Rosie
•  Along with "Put On a Happy Face", "Rosie" might be the most well known song from the show.  Alexander and Williams do a lovely job, and demonstrate a wonderful chemistry, even without watching it.  They both come across as charming and truly in love. 
• 20) End Credits
•  Oddly enough, the "End Credits" are remarkably similar to the structure of the OBC Overture, with the inclusion of the newer songs.  They serve their purpose, and we get bits of most of the big numbers in the show, including "Baby, Talk to Me", "A Lot of Livin' to Do", "Kids", "Put On A Happy Face", "Let's Settle Down", and the always popular (and incessant) "We Love You, Conrad".

In Conclusion
 I realize this show is far from perfect: its references are extremely obscure and dated, and inn this age of technology and instant knowledge, the idea behind "The Telephone Hour" might seem archaic.  But this show is just some good, clean fun.  It provides a great snapshot into the ideal 1950s life, more so than Grease ever does.  Right now, we're living through some frightening things, and, even though it can be difficult, some days we just need to put on a happy face.

Sincerely, Strawpunz


For more information:
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07B6SLY61/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
- https://www.amazon.com/Bye-Birdie-Soundtrack-Recording-Television/dp/B000003FZT/

Sources

1.  “Bye Bye Birdie.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bye_Bye_Birdie. 
2.  www.facebook.com/goodguyswagger. “The Seven Characteristics of Going Steady: Dating in the 1950s.” GoodGuySwag, 19 Sept. 2016, goodguyswag.com/7-characteristics-of-going-steady/.
3.  Strouse, Charles, et al. Bye Bye Birdie; a Musical Comedy. E.H. Morris, 1968.