Apr 8, 2015 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – The Waynesburg Central High School drama club will present the Tony Award winning, “Bye Bye Birdie,” at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday. A matinee performance will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for students.

For the uninitiated, “Bye Bye Birdie,” is the story of Conrad Birdie, portrayed by Jacob Tretinik.

The musical is set in the late 1950s and Birdie is a singing sensation who has been drafted into the military. Claire Kreider, as Rose “Rosie” Alvarez, secretary and sweetheart of Birdie’s agent, Albert Peterson, played by Caleb Jackson, develops a publicity stunt as a sendoff for Birdie.

He will record a new song, written by Peterson and then sing it live on “The Ed Sullivan Show” followed by one lucky fan being selected to receive a kiss from Birdie.

The tradeoff for this last hurrah in the music business for Peterson is his promise to walk away from it and make good on a promise of a normal life with Alvarez. The monkey wrench to the relationship is Peterson’s doting and manipulative mother, Mae, played by Bailey Echegaray. It is 15-year-old, Kim MacAfee, played by Brooke Horton, as the president of the Sweet Apple, Ohio, Conrad Birdie Fan Club, who is slated to receive the coveted kiss. Her boyfriend, Hugo Peabody, portrayed by Cole Leathers, isn’t happy at all about the prospect. Between Peabody and MacAfee’s father, played by Braxton McCollum, Birdie is in for trouble.

There is plenty of teenage angst mixed with tasteful adult humor and the usual well-rehearsed and professionally preformed musical numbers by the drama club.

There is even a surprise voice-over by a well-known local radio personality, once cast as Birdie himself, who gave Tretinik tips on bringing his character to life.

Tickets to the show may be purchased at the door, or in advance at McCracken Pharmacy or the Fashion Shoppe, both located on High Street in Waynesburg.