Clearfield says hello to ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ at arts center
Kirsten Jacobson as Rose Alvarez in "Bye Bye Birdie," a Clearfield Arts Center production opening Nov. 2.
Kirsten Jacobson as Rose Alvarez
CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Arts Center is presenting “Bye, Bye Birdie” starting November 2 and running each night through November 7. The community theater is thriving in the city with different performances throughout the year.
Michelle Robbins is the director of the show — her first time directing for Clearfield’s theater. She teaches theater at Bingham High School, but recently moved to Clearfield. “I really wanted to get my foot in the door in this community and this has been a great experience for me,” Robbins said. “I’ve directed shows for 25 years and directing in a community theater like this is rewarding,” she said.
Auditions started in late August and there is a cast of 36. “It’s a really tiny little theater and we wanted to make it so families could audition,” Robbins said. The theater seats 108.
The thing Robbins likes about the community theater is that it is a great chance for people who have never done a show before to get their feet wet. “A lot of people have never done this before,” she said.
She has enjoyed watching the change in the cast as they have learned more about acting and performing on stage. “It’s an interesting learning curve for them and it takes a lot of courage,” she noted. While the theater is not a high-profile theater like Centerpoint or Hale, it is a great place for great entertainment and has a real community feel, Robbins said.
“Everybody should have the chance to know what it’s like to be on stage,” she said. She has watched as one of the cast members almost had a panic attack at the audition and has since come out of the shell.
The show is about the story of a rock ‘n’ roll singer who is about to be inducted into the army. The singer, Conrad Birdie, similar to Elvis Presley, has a pompadour and thick sideburns and he wears gaudy gold costumes and speaks in a rugged voice. His agent’s secretary concocts one final national publicity plan before Conrad’s induction where Conrad will bid an all-American teenage girl goodbye with an all-American kiss. Kim MacAfee in Sweet Apple, Ohio, wins the honor.
The arrival of Birdie in Sweet Apple causes people of all ages to swoon. It is decided that Birdie will give his One Last Kiss on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Kim’s father, who doesn’t like anything about it, tries to break into the act and hams it up on the show.
Birdie feels frustrated with his life and decides to go out on the town with the teenagers. The parents of Sweet Apple cannot understand the new generation and express this with a classic number, “Kids.”
A press release from Clearfield Community Arts Center said the show is positive because “it gives an insight into the everyday life that is very much part of us all.” The release went on to say the cast enjoys the show as much as the audience.
Robbins finds this to be true. “It’s family-friendly fun in a very intimate space,” she said. Because the theater is small, the performers are very close to the audience, helping the audience feel connected to the performers and vice versa.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.ezticketlive.com or by visiting the Clearfield City website. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door until they are sold out. Tickets for adults are $7; tickets for children and senior citizens are just $5. The theater is located at 140 East Center Street in Clearfield. Show times are at 7 p.m. each night with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on November 7.
