STAGE REVIEW : A Splashy, Tuneful ‘Birdie’ Swoops Into Center

No less a Broadway connoisseur than Brooks Atkinson thought “Bye Bye Birdie” was a dud. “It needs work,” he concluded in his review of the premiere in 1960. On the other hand, Kenneth Tynan praised it for an “affectionate freshness we have seldom encountered.”

Three decades later, there’s no question that Atkinson couldn’t have been more wrong. The “Bye Bye Birdie” revival that opened Tuesday night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center is proof. After nearly a year on the road, this touring production seems like it could go on playing to packed houses forever.

But was Tynan right? The rare freshness of which he spoke in fact trades on nostalgia, notwithstanding Tommy Tune’s up-to-the-minute effervescence. The very stylishness of this “Bye Bye Birdie” adores the past and wears it like a splashy varsity letter. With an airy Tinkertoy set and a wardrobe of color-coordinated costumes, the show is a clever piece of designer kitsch that spares no look-at-me effort to match the ‘50s to the ‘90s.

The irony, of course, is that even when “Bye Bye Birdie” was new, there never was a past as sweet as the one it confected--not one anybody ever really believed in, except on vintage television programs like “Ozzie and Harriet” or “Father Knows Best.”

The creators of “Bye Bye Birdie”--librettist Michael Stewart, composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Lee Adams--recognized the irony and poked fun at it with their lightly satirical story about the travails of Albert Peterson (Tune), a New York talent agent who has girlfriend trouble, mother trouble and client trouble.

Albert’s girlfriend, Rose (Lenora Nemetz), wants him to get married. His nattering mother, Mae (Marilyn Cooper), doesn’t want him to. In the meantime, his rock-star client, Conrad Birdie (Marc Kudisch), has been drafted into the Army, which threatens both of their careers.

As part of a publicity stunt, they all end up in Sweet Apple, Ohio, where Birdie can bestow one last kiss on a fan (Susan Egan) and, predictably, they all end up living happily ever after.

But what matters most in this revival is presentation. Indeed, presentation is all. For instance, Tune--who is at the center of attention (as he should be for his reported earnings of $40,000 a week)--appears in four dazzling suits: creamy white, mustard yellow, electric blue and fire-engine red.

And for all the nostalgia, there is no suggestion that Tune is playing anyone other than himself--a likable, gangly music man of the ‘90s who lives up to his name with tuneful singing perhaps better than he does with his dancing (which is pleasant enough but very overrated).

By the same token, for all the imitation-Elvis singing during Kudisch’s entertaining performance as Birdie, every attempt has been made to present him not really as a ‘50s rock star but as a ‘90s knockoff of a Chippendale dancer. His exuberant bumps and grinds make for a sexual sendup, just as his singing is a musical spoof.

Of the three leading women, Cooper gives the wittiest performance with exquisitely timed, deadpan delivery. But then, in terms of comedy, Mae’s nasty character provides the most to work with.

The producers have responded to criticism of one of Mae’s more insensitive, ethnic-bashing utterances: Her line describing Albert’s girlfriend as “Mexicali Rose who came for the fruit-picking season” has been changed to “a floozy who came for a good time.”

Mae’s insensitivity is the essence of her character, however, and that (wisely, in my view) has not been toned down. Objections to her other lines about “foreigners” are understandable but, considering that their source is so clearly portrayed as an irritable creep, nobody should be offended.

Finally, kudos to Nemetz and Egan, who both give superb performances. Nemetz is an indefatigable tyro with belting energy and good-natured warmth to spare. Egan, a newcomer to the professional stage, sings with angelic charm and ought to have a grand career.

‘Bye Bye Birdie’

Lenora Nemetz: Rose Alvarez

Tommy Tune: Albert Peterson

Jessica Stone: Ursula Merkle

Susan Egan: Kim MacAfee

Dale O’Brien: Harry MacAfee

Belle Calaway: Doris MacAfee

Joey Hannon: Randolph MacAfee

Marilyn Cooper: Mae Peterson

Marc Kudisch: Conrad Birdie

Robyn Peterman: Deborah Sue

Jane Labanz: Suzie

J. Lee Flynn: Mayor

Kristine Nevins: Mayor’s Wife

Mary Kilpatrick: Mrs. Merkle

Belle Calaway: Gloria Rasputin

J. Lee Flynn: Charles F. Maude

Presented by Barry and Fran Weissler and the Pace Theatrical Group. Directed by Gene Sakes. Music by Charles Strouse. Lyrics by Lee Adams. Book by Michael Stewart. Choreography by Edmond Kresley. Scenic design by Peter Larkin. Costumes by Robert Mackintosh. Lighting by Peggy Eisenhauer. Sound by Peter Fitzgerald. Hair design by Robert DiNiro. Music director: Michael Biagi. Continues Thursday through Sunday at 8 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes. $21 to $44. (714) 556-2787.