As I watched Chanhassen Dinner Theatres outstanding production of Bye Bye Birdie I began to wonder why it is I always leave the Chan feeling better about life in general. Shows at the Chanhassen always have a hidden message, something beyond the script and score that make you leave with a spring in your step.
In this production director Michael Brindisi takes a musical that many of his peers would relegate as a warhorse only for high schools with average talent and makes it into something bigger. It’s a celebration of life. It’s about finding yourself and realizing that happiness is a tonic that can cure whatever ails you.
Going to the Chanhassen is like heading to grandma’s farmhouse for a family reunion. We reconnect with our “uncle” Keith Rice who supplies the ham as he powers his way through the meaty role of beleaguered father Harry MacAfee. We also visit with “cousins” and Chanhassen regulars Michael Gruber, Tony Vierling, Michelle Barber and Therese Walth whose characters have changed from our last visit but their talent and energy never cease. Because of their base company of actors, a trip to the Chanhassen is more than a night at the theatre; it’s a time to reconnect.
With hair by Dairy Queen, Wisconsin native Frank Moran fits the bill as title character Conrad Birdie. His pompadour is real, his voice is rock solid and his dance moves are athletic and entertaining to watch.
As music agent Albert Peterson, Gruber is perfect in blending the needed aspects of his mamma’s boy character with his natural gifts as a song and dance man. I saw a touring production of Birdie in 1991 starring Tommy Tune at the Ordway. Other than being about a foot-and-half shorter, Gruber is every bit as good as the legendary Mr. Tune. In some respects he is even better. The Minnesota theatre community is incredibly fortunate Mr. Gruber, a vet of national stages, including Broadway, has decided to lay down roots in Minnesota.
While Gruber is a treat to watch, the real star of this show is Ann Michels as Albert’s common law secretary and love interest. Michels shines as the frustrated Rosie who has waited eight long years for Albert to choose her over his commandeering mother, played to the hilt by Seri Johnnson. I could sit for hours and listen to Michels belt out a tune. She gives everything in her performance and as audience members we are most grateful.
From an aesthetic point of view, Birdie shines as well. Choreographer Tamara Kangas Erickson gets the most out of her dancers as they move almost nonstop while on the stage. And speaking of the stage, Nayna Ramey’s set design is a brilliant mix of simplicity and detail. There are no big set pieces here. Instead we get well-thought out sets that make us, as an audience, use our imaginations a bit. And that’s not always a bad thing.
Once again the Chanhassen has scored another victory in the battle to take a show some discredit and make it vibrant again. The cast is great. The direction is great. But most importantly, in a time when grey skies have covered the world, Chan’s Bye Bye Birdie assures us that the skies will clear up and we can be happy, even if it’s only for a couple of hours. It plays until late-March 2013.
Blair Reynolds is a freelance writer and part-time actor who lives in South St. Paul, Minn.
