YPT Summer Workshop "Bye, Bye, Birdie" (Cast Two)

I saw most of the Friday night performances of "Bye, Bye, Birdie" at the Varsity Theater. Most of lead actresses switched roles from last week, so in some sense it was a new show. Arriving late, I missed the technical problems with lights and set changes, plus the guy yammering on his cell phone in the break-out area, so I really can't comment on all that.

The guys seemed to do much better this week than last (with the exception of John Ramos, who was already good and thus had little room for improvement). Ryan Warren as Albert, Julien Biewer-Elstob as Birdie, and Jordan Ferris as Hugo Peabody all improved considerably this week, given last week's experience. Despite a good first act, though, Julien was a bit too quiet in the second act, given the large space of the Varsity Theater to fill with song.

I thought that Katherine Vanderford, who played Rosie Alvarez last week, set a very high standard for this week's Rosie, Kayla Berghoff, to meet. Kayla proved to be a superb actress and singer, though, so it's really hard to say who might have been best: Kayla had a bit more poise and Katherine had a bit more charisma. Both are excellent at their craft!

I guess a lot of the lead actresses have more stage experience than I counted on for a summer workshop: several come from River City Theater Company (RCTC), or otherwise have impressive resumes. They are kind-of intimidating, with their catalog of strengths!

Once again, Julia Soto did an excellent good job as Albert's mother, Mae Peterson. I like watching Julia's control and discipline, her careful movements, her mannerisms. I hope I see more of her on stage in the years ahead. Anna Miles played an enthusiastic Kim MacAfee. Jessica Greenstreet played a crowd-pleasing, excitable Gloria Rasputin. It was distracting to see Hailee Ketchum-Wiggins in an ensemble role - she distracts by being such a good performer.

For me, one weakness of the show is the oversimplified choreography. Maybe there just isn't enough time in a summer workshop to put together something more challenging. Plus, dance steps are hard for the youngest cast members to memorize - in general, from ballet, I find that kids should be older than 12 to really have a good shot at getting the steps (and there were a number in the cast younger than that age).

In any event, there are just a few performances left - see it while you can!