Bye Bye Birdie Show Poster

Bye Bye Birdie Critics’ Reviews

It's 1960 and hip-swingin’ teen idol Conrad Birdie has been drafted into the army. But don’t worry, girls! His manager Albert has cooked up a plan to send him off with a swell new song and one last kiss from a lucky teenage fan...on The Ed Sullivan Show!

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About Bye Bye Birdie

Rock star Conrad Birdie is the biggest thing to top the charts. Women love him, men want to be him and teenage girls around the country scream with glee at the mere mention of his name. But when the United States Army drafts Birdie, manager Albert Peterson sees his meal ticket preparing to fly the coop (much to the delight of longtime love Rose Alvarez, who can’t wait for Albert to ditch the music biz and become something respectable, like an English teacher). Desperate for a publicity stunt big enough to help them survive Birdie’s departure, Albert and Rose hatch a plan: send Conrad to small-town America to plant his goodbye kiss on one lucky fan for the entire world to see. Their selection of super fan Kim Macafee sends the wholesome enclave of Sweet Apple, Ohio into chaos. Kim’s boyfriend, Hugo, can’t take the humiliation of his lady love’s televised lip-lock. Rose can’t take another minute of Albert’s distracted ways. And Sweet Apple can’t take its teens' riotous rebellion, inspired by the arrival of bad-boy Birdie. Will Sweet Apple ever be the same?

Reviews

critics reviews Critics’ Reviews (3)
A collection of our favorite reviews from professional news sources.
The New Yorker

"“Fifty years on, Bye Bye Birdie is still as light, frothy, and irresistible as an egg cream.”"

The New Yorker

John Lahr

Bloomberg News

"“This is a show both for the kid with you and the kid within you.”"

Bloomberg News

John Simon

Entertainment Weekly

"“Bye Bye Birdie is still an effervescent, toe-tapping indulgence.”"

Entertainment Weekly

Tanner Stansky

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