Friends University will present the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” Feb. 3-4 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. in the Riney Fine Arts Center’s Sebits Auditorium.
What else can a town or a family in the 1950s do when the biggest star of that new music craze, rock ‘n’ roll, shows up on your doorstep? What else but put on a happy face, bitterly question what’s the matter with kids today or simply go crazy with all the teenage females. Yes, the girls love Conrad Birdie. On the other hand, the local guys are glad Birdie is drafted by the U.S. Army and can’t wait until the rockstar is shipped off to parts unknown and leaves their women alone. Saying “bye, bye” to Conrad with jeers or tears is not so simple. However, as everyone discovers they have a lot of living [yet] to do. This is the musical, with its nod-nod-wink-wink toward the boy from Tupelo, Miss., that cracked open the Broadway door for a “new music craze.” With book by Michael Stewart, music by Charles Strauss and lyrics by Lee Adams, this fun and funny show paved the way for pop musical styles that continue to today’s “High School Musical,” “Jersey Boys” and “All Shook Up.”
Admission is $11 for adults and $9 for seniors and students. For more information on this event or other Fine Arts events, please contact the Fine Arts Box Office at 316-295-5677 or finearts@friends.edu.
Friends University, a Christian University of Quaker heritage, equips students to honor God and serve others by integrating their intellectual, spiritual and professional lives.