MARSHFIELD – “Bye Bye Birdie,” a musical first introduced in 1960, will be performed by Campus Community Players at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 21-22, and Thursday through Saturday, July 27-29, in the Helen Connor Laird Theatre on the UW-Marshfield/Wood County campus, 2000 W. 5^th St., Marshfield.

"The musical centers around Conrad Birdie – an Elvis-like character who has been drafted into the army,” said Steve Decker, director and UW-Marshfield/Wood County assistant professor.  “As a publicity stunt, he’s going to bestow one last kiss on fan club president Kim MacAfee of Sweet Apple, Ohio. The presence of a rock-and-roll star in the small town has hilarious and disastrous consequences for everyone involved. Hit songs from the show include ‘Put on a Happy Face,’ ‘One Last Kiss’ and ‘Kids.’” 

In January campus and community members were able to vote for their favorite summer musical via the UW-M/WC Web site. Bye Bye Birdie earned 167 votes during week-long poll.  Second was “Working” with 161 votes.  “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” earned 148 votes and “Into the Woods” 106 votes. 

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm out there for this musical,” Decker said. “The Web site poll generated a lot of interest and we attracted some very talented actors, actresses and musicians to the stage as a result.” 

Jesse Warren, Marshfield, is loving his roll as a teen idol, even if playing Conrad Birdie means hearing the song “We Love You, Conrad” 8,000 times per rehearsal. 

“Everybody loves Conrad” said Warren, a second-year student at UW-M/WC. He also played Doc Porter in Campus Community Players’ production of Crimes of the Heart in April.  “Conrad’s got all the girls.  He’s actually an arrogant jerk. It’s definitely a fun character to play.” 

Jeffer Scheuer, Owen, is playing Rose Alvarez, a Hispanic woman who’s secretary to Birdie’s agent, Albert Peterson.  Scheuer - whose Campus Community Players credits include “Tomfoolery,” “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” – is the Spanish teacher at Owen-Withee High School. 

“Make up and hair will make me look Hispanic, and I speak Spanish very well,” Scheuer said. “So I’m actually playing Rose the opposite way that most people play her.  It’s a lot of fun to be able to use my talent for Spanish.” 

Maja Neumann, Colby, is making her Campus Community Players debut as Ursula, Kim MacAfee’s best friend. Her acting credits include “The Pajama Game,” “Little Women” and “The Wizard in Wonderland” at Colby High School, where she will be a senior. 

“(Ursula) is a big Conrad Birdie fan,” Neumann said.  “She’s really overly enthusiastic, so I get to act really hyper and all that fun stuff.  There’s a lot of screaming, and that’s a lot of fun.” 

Neumann said Decker, Musical Director Dr. David De Lyser and Choreographer Patricia Marion are making rehearsals “a lot of fun.” 

“They’re all so full of enthusiasm, and they’re really ready to work,” she said. “That makes it all the more exciting.” 

Bye Bye Birdie is the first musical De Lyser, who is beginning his second year as assistant professor of music at UW-M/WC, has been involved with as a conductor.  

“I’ve played in pit orchestras for years, and it has been great fun to be involved with putting the whole musical side of the show together from the beginning,” he said.  “Both the cast and musicians are all working very hard."

Ann Huntoon and her husband, David Hastings, both of Marshfield, are playing in the orchestra.  Huntoon is on piccolo and flute; Hastings is on clarinet and saxophone. 

“It’s fun music, but challenging,” said Huntoon, who also played in the orchestra for the Campus Community Players production of “The Sound of Music.”  ”The music is such an integral part of this show, so there’s really a lot going on.” 

Tickets for Bye Bye Birdie are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  The Campus Box Office is open 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before performances.  To order tickets, call 389-6534.  VISA, MasterCard and Discover are accepted. All seating is reserved.  Tickets are non-refundable. 

The Campus-Community Players presents a wide variety of productions, including classical work, new plays, musicals and, sometimes, family oriented work. As a college theatre program, which also relies on members of the community in its productions, the primary goal of the program is the education of students. Many students have gone on to professional careers in acting, directing, playwriting, theatre education and theatrical production. This aim of teaching and learning requires a variety of theatrical genres, periods and styles which reflect the current contemporary theatre landscape. There are many opportunities to get involved both onstage and off. New faces are always welcome. Contact Decker, assistant professor of Communication and Theatre Arts, at steven.decker@uwc.edu, for more information.

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