‘Bye Bye Birdie’ doesn’t fly high with Gina Gershon and John Stamos

More fizzle than sizzle in Broadway revival

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

BROADWAY REVIEW

The newly and almost entirely rebuilt Henry Miller's Theatre opened Thursday night with a dud.

The inaugural misfire is "Bye Bye Birdie." Unfortunately, the first-ever Broadway revival of the 1960 musical is not nearly as much fun for the family crowd as it should be.

Despite its disappointing staging, this brisk lampoon of the Elvis Presley craze still manages to deliver a decent amount of amusement on its own merits, thanks to writer Michael Stewart's frisky story and a bright, breezy score by lyricist Lee Adams and composer Charles Strouse featuring the nice likes of "Put on a Happy Face" and "Kids." A catchy title number created for the screen version has been added for the curtain calls but otherwise it's the same show as ever.

Too bad that a jittery John Stamos is charmless in the songwriter role originated by Dick Van Dyke and sparks zero chemistry with his beauteous co-star Gina Gershon, who's got some pizzazz but is no Chita Rivera (or Janet Leigh, should you reference the film). Neither lead is much of a singer and as for dancing, well, they're hoofing strictly for laughs -- some more intentional than others.

But then, this Roundabout Theatre Company production generally is underpowered. No star is born with Nolan Gerard Funk's bland Conrad Birdie, who's so much oatmeal in a cute package. The exception is Bill Irwin's oddball turn as stressed small town dad, Mr. MacAfee, rendered with a weird voice and body language suggesting he's an alien from a different planet. Best of the lackluster bunch is mink-swaddled Jayne Houdyshell, who rumbles around as the songwriter's smothering old mama with a gimlet eye and a grim sense of purpose.

After miscasting his show, director-choreographer Robert Longbottom has dulled it down with a setting of translucent panels that looks mighty gray behind the actors' brightly colored ‘60s costumes. If his rock ‘n' roll dances are humdrum, at least Longbottom pushes matters along at a quick clip.

Unless you've already purchased tickets, better say bye-bye to this "Birdie" and wait for whatever roosts next at Broadway's newest playhouse.

Only the landmarked neo-Georgian façade still remains from the original Henry Miller's Theatre, built by the Edwardian-era actor-producer in 1918. Later the Xenon nightclub of the 1980s and finally the effectively seedy home of Sam Mendes' "Cabaret" revival and the musical "Urinetown," the decayed building has been otherwise demolished for a modern venue constructed in its footprint.

The 1,055-seat theater is somewhat unusual for Broadway in that its mezzanine area is located directly at street level while the orchestra section is situated several flights below ground with a parterre for the restrooms sandwiched between them. Decorative fragments from the old theater are embedded in the off-white lobbies and the gray-bronze-maroon-accented auditorium. The space seems a trifle chilly in atmosphere but probably will be fine once it houses a hotter attraction.

"Bye Bye Birdie" continues through Jan. 10 at Henry Miller's Theatre, 124 W. 43rd St., New York. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.byebyebirdieonbroadway.com.