The Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of “Bye Bye Birdie” opened on Thursday, October 15, at Henry Miller’s Theatre in New York, NY.

The first Broadway revival of the Michael Stewart, Lee Adams and Charles Strouse musical is set in the 1960s. Often mirroring the true story of Elvis Presley, the satire follows rock-and-roller Conrad Birdie, played by Nolan Gerard Funk, who has been drafted into the Army. John Stamos steps in as Birdie’s manager Albert Peterson, with Gina Gershon filling the role of Peterson’s long-standing girlfriend, Rose Alvarez.

The original production, which debuted on Broadway in 1960, won four Tony Awards and the Outer Critics Circle Award. This revival of “Bye Bye Birdie” is directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom, with book by Michael Stewart, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams.

Previews first opened on September 10 in the 1,023 seat theater. Ticket face values range from the standard $86.50 for back-of-mezzanine seating, to a holiday season high of $141.50 for orchestra seats. However, according to the Broadway League, the average paid admission through previews was just over $68. The League’s numbers also show gross ticket sales at the end of the last week of previews were $563,149 with the venue at 99 percent capacity.

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Evening performances run Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Matinees are staged weekly on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Runtime for the production is 2 hours 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

This is a limited engagement through January 10, 2010. Henry Miller’s Theatre is located at 124 West 43rd Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue. Scheduling and ticketing details are available on the production’s official Web Site.

Opening Night: ‘Bye Bye Birdie’

Publication Critic Review
Variety David Rooney “Warmed-over apple pie and flat soda pop, anyone? That’s the all-American snack being served in less-than-optimum form in ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ The first Broadway revival of the 1960 musical ought to be a lot more fun.”
New York Times Ben Brantley “‘Bye Bye Birdie’ may be the most painful example of misapplied talent on Broadway since the Roundabout’s production of ‘Hedda Gabler,’ starring Mary-Louise Parker, last season.”
USA Today Elysa Gardner “The good news is that the Roundabout revival, which opened Thursday at Henry Miller’s Theatre, milks this trifle for all its breezy charm.”
Newsday Linda Winer “‘Bye Bye Birdie’ has not been on Broadway since the original hit in 1960. And on the basis of the busy and boring revival chosen to open the new Henry Miller’s Theatre, the absence is easy to explain.”
Theatermania Barbara & Scott Siegel “After seeing the show, most audience members will likely leave with considerable satisfaction about the new theater, but will feel ambivalent about, if not downright disappointed by, this surprisingly mediocre and ultimately miscast production.”
Talkin’ Broadway Matthew Murray “The Roundabout Theatre Company’s new revival of ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ has one, and only one, good reason for seeing it: the place it’s playing.”
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