Catch 'Bye Bye Birdie' at Larkin this weekend
Larkin High School students will bring a lively musical to the stage this weekend with their production of "Bye Bye Birdie."
Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 14-15, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at the school's auditorium, 1475 Larkin Ave., Elgin. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and children.
The Daily Herald caught up with director Todd Duty to find out more about this show.
Q. Why did you choose "Bye Bye Birdie" as your spring musical?
Duty. Our choir director, Stacy Sager, enjoyed the show and thought it would be a good fit with the vocal talents that we had.
Q. What is the story about?
Duty. A record producer (Albert) and his assistant (Rosie) are looking for a hit. Rosie comes up with the idea to have their star, Conrad Birdie, give a random teen (Kim) "one last kiss" before he goes into the army. The story of Conrad Birdie plays as a backdrop to the true plot: the relationship between Albert and Rosie.
Q. What have been some of the challenges in putting this production together?
Duty. We have a young cast. Many students are making their Larkin musical debut. Obviously, that proves challenging as a director because you find yourself spending extra time teaching the basics instead of working on enhancements.
Q. What have been some of the highlights?
Duty. I always enjoy working with students who have been in the background, so to speak, and have had smaller roles and now they have a lead. It's fun watching the evolution from "Can I do this?" to "I got this." Tania Muro (Rosie) has been that this year - a major talent who flew under the radar until she landed this role. A young man like Alfonso Valdespino (Albert), who was off-book right from the beginning and hasn't missed a line, cue, note, etc. during the process. He has been a great leader on that stage. Moments like that make it all worth it.
Q. What do you think audiences will like best about this show - a favorite song, scene, character, etc.?
Duty. Hopefully they will like the silliness of it. This show is a complete "rip-off" of Elvis going into the Army. If you lived through that era you will probably relate to it. Additionally, songs like "Put on a Happy Face" and "Kids" are well-known. Families will enjoy that.
Call (847) 888-5200 for details.