Over 60 talented singers and actors from Years 7-12 have been rehearsing for the past seven months and are excited to present this iconic rock‘n’roll musical from Wednesday, May 23 to Saturday, May 26. 

Bye Bye Birdie is set in America during 1958, a time of rock’n’roll, swishing skirts and slicked back hair. 

Year 9 student Micah Perry plays teen heartthrob, Conrad Birdie, an Elvis type rock star, who is about to be drafted into the US Army. 

Conrad’s songwriter and agent, Albert (Lachlan White, Year 11), and Albert’s secretary and sometime girlfriend, Rosie (Tamsyn McPhail, Year 11), hatch a plan for a farewell performance to take place on The Ed Sullivan Show, which they hope will help sell Birdie’s new song ‘One Last Kiss’. 

To cap off the performance, Birdie will actually give ‘one last kiss’ to Kim MacAfee (Jasmine Dickinson, Year 12), an avid member of the Conrad Birdie fan club. 

When Albert and Rosie head to Sweet Apple to prepare for Birdie’s arrival, things start to unravel. 

Kim’s father (Joey Ellery, Year 10) is starstruck at the thought of being on The Ed Sullivan Show with his daughter, and Kim’s new steady, Hugo (Aaron Tasker, Year 10) gets jealous at the thought of Kim kissing Conrad on national television. 

Comedy and mayhem follow. 

Director Rosie Ellery said the audience will be in for an evening of energy and laughter. 

“The students and staff have worked extremely hard to ensure that it will be an exceptionally high-quality production,” she said. 

The music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams include classic musical theatre songs, such as ‘Put on a Happy Face,’ ‘A Lot of Livin’ To Do’ and ‘The Telephone Hour’. 

A matinée performance will be held at 11 am on Wednesday, May 23. 

Performances will also be held on May 24, 25 and 26 at 6.30pm. 

The show is open to the general public and tickets are available online at https://www.trybooking.com/VGSY