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Theater Preview: ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ director is no stranger to the production

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Adam Hollick, playing Conrad Birdie, stands on a train station bench surrounded by enthusiastic teenagers at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Conrad Birdie, played by Adam Hollick, at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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A happy moment for the chorus when they get instructions about where to find Conrad Birdie at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Danny Reynolds, playing Hugo F. Peabody, tries to win back his girl Kim McAfee, played by Maryanne Burr, at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Rose Alvarez, played by Colette Peters, dances with a briefcase at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.

  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Albert F. Peterson, played by Robert Pieranunzi, starts to create a song as Rose Alvarez, played by Colette Peters, admires and watches at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.

  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Members of the chorus surround the theater on the phone at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Colette Peters, playing Rosie, and Robert Pieranunzi, playing Albert, at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.

  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Actors Holly Catania, Natalie Roberts, and Maryanne Burr get voice instructions from musical director Steven Applegate at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Colette Peters, playing Rosie, and Robert Pieranunzi, playing Albert, at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.

  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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A cast member does her fan club scream at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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A bunch of sad faces from the chorus as Albert, played by Robert Pieranunzi, sings “Put on a Happy Face” at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Albert, played by Robert Pieranunzi, brings his mother to a bench at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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The chorus during a phone call scene at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Conrad Birdie, played by Adam Hollick, combs his hair standing on a bench, at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Wide-eyed teens admire Conrad Birdie at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Conrad Birdie, played by Adam Hollick, arrives on the scene at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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A news reporter takes information about the arrival of Conrad Birdie at a dress rehearsal of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Glendale Centre Theatre on Monday, February 13, 2017. The show will run from February 17 to April 1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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The classic musical “Bye Bye Birdie,” inspired by the frenzy created when Elvis Presley received a draft notice into the Army in 1957, is opening this weekend at the Glendale Centre Theatre.

Set in 1958, “Bye Bye Birdie” centers around a songwriter’s struggle to create one final hit song for his star performer, Conrad Birdie, before he loses his client to the Army.

The production is directed by Todd Nielsen, with Robert Pieranunzi in the lead role of Albert Peterson, alongside Collette Peters as his secretary and sweetheart Rose “Rosie” Alvarez.

“I’m very excited to work on a piece that I also grew up with as a kid,” Nielsen said. “It’s very delightful. It’s really very fun.”

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This will be Nielsen’s first time directing “Bye Bye Birdie,” but he has directed several productions at the Glendale Centre Theatre since 2001, including “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure.”

The theater has in-the-round seating, where audience members encircle the stage.

“It makes it very fun for the audience ... It kind of puts the play right in your lap,” Nielsen said. “You want to be sure that the audience gets equal time in terms of visually and verbally understanding the show.”

Nielsen has two projects in the works after “Bye Bye Birdie” wraps: the one-woman play “The Belle of Amherst,” based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson, and Meridith Willson’s “The Music Man.”

Pieranunzi is no stranger to “Bye Bye Birdie,” having previously played love interest Hugo Peabody. He said he sees many similarities between himself and Peterson.

“Albert’s whole journey is really about his passion versus his practicality,” Pieranunzi said. “[The character] enters the complexities of trying to appease your family, falling for the girl you love but still trying to do right by mother.”

Performances will be at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays as well as a 3 p.m. matinee performance on Saturdays through April 1. There are also performances on select Thursdays and Sundays.

For more information, visit glendalecentretheatre.com.

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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda

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