Theater Review : Poor Artistic Choices Ground ‘Bye Bye Birdie’

What do you call a production of “Bye Bye Birdie” without funky kitsch?

A dead duck.

At first glance, director John Vaughan’s Brea Civic Light Opera production at the Curtis Theatre seems properly loud and brash. As Albert, the teacher-turned-record mogul guiding the superstar career of the Elvis-like Conrad Birdie, Andrew Ragone is cartoonish and lanky in the Dick Van Dyke mold.

As Albert’s heartthrob assistant Rosie, Jennifer Shelton has a solid command of the stage when she lets loose with “An English Teacher.” All the props are absurdly huge and fake. The message is: Have fun.

But the pleasure that comes from this first musical to tap into teen rock ‘n’ roll culture (the movie version making Ann-Margret a mega-pop icon) soon vanishes because of a lot of poor artistic choices.

Ragone chooses to scream every line until we no longer care whether Albert and Rosie stay together. Neil Kaplan chooses to design his set with brightly colored cubes and alphabet blocks, a half-baked Romper Room atmosphere no teen would be caught dead in.

Vaughan chooses to arrange the action on this misbegotten set so it’s never at all clear where we are. Someone chooses to prerecord musical director Diane L. David’s overly synthesized version of Charles Strouse’s score (with lyrics by Lee Adams and a book by Michael Stewart).

It all makes for a fairly alienating, unstylish version of a let-loose, minor Broadway classic.

Stewart’s book plays off of the phenomenon of Elvis’ Army induction, with female teen fans freaking out over the news. It also enjoys pitting Big Apple music show biz against the small-town values of Sweet Apple, Ohio. Brea CLO previously did a respectable “Music Man,” another Broadway fun show about small towns and wise guys.

In that production, we always knew where we were. This time, Vaughan’s actors must climb over, around and on top of the boxy set (a couple of actors inevitably banged into the cubes during numbers on Sunday).

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Whether we’re in the home of Conrad’s No. 1 fan Kim (Sandi Haney), or in the town square or in back-alley bar, it all looks the same. And as Ragone’s central performance grows increasingly shrill, the hopes for a flying “Birdie” fall to Earth.

Even when we hear the right kind of strong singing (especially from Shelton--who takes over the show--but also from Scott Stewart’s Birdie on a rocker like “One Last Kiss”), or the right kind of energy (from screaming teens), it is often marred by poor miking. (Erin Saporito did the sound.)

Some folks escape fairly unscathed. Elizabeth Mendoza Carey is a skilled clown as Albert’s overbearing mother, while Haney embodies a welter of teen anxieties as Kim. Funky supporting business from Christy Enderle as trashy Gloria Rasputin and Stephen Reifenstein as nerdy Harvey Johnson becomes real relief here.

Some other calculated fun doesn’t compute. Larry McLellan, as Kim’s dad, falls into the old trap of impersonating Paul Lynde (whose “Kids” became a rallying song for ‘60s parents). Rey O’Day’s choreography is mostly messy, particularly the always silly number with Rosie being chased by a bunch of horny Shriners.

Numbers like that are what make “Bye Bye Birdie” the kind of show it is. Retro can be fun, but this edition of “Birdie” is a reminder that doing retro is an art in itself.

* “Bye Bye Birdie,” Curtis Theatre, One Civic Center Circle, Brea. Thursdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends May 14. $7-$15. (714) 990-7722. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.

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Jennifer Shelton: Rosie

Andrew Ragone: Albert

Sandi Haney: Kim

Scott Stewart: Conrad Birdie

Elizabeth Mendoza Carey: Mrs. Peterson

Larry McLellan: Mr. MacAfee

Colby Foytik: Hugo

Rey O’Day: Mrs. MacAfee

Stephen Reifenstein: Harvey

Christy Enderle: Gloria

A Brea Civic Light Opera production of the Charles Strouse-Lee Adams-Michael Stewart musical. Directed by John Vaughan. Musical director: Diane L. David. Choreographer/assistant director: Rey O’Day. Set: Neil Kaplan. Lights: John Vasques. Sound: Erin Saporito.