Kingman’s Beale Street Theater just finished auditions and casting for Bye Bye Birdie, and we are in for a treat here in Mohave County!
Bye Bye Birdie is a musical about a dashing young singer named Conrad Birdie, inspired by the iconic Elvis Presley. When he is drafted into the Army, his managers, Albert Peterson, and Rosie Alvarez, come up with the last publicity stunt before Conrad is swept away. Unfortunately, the plan goes to chaos, song, and dance.
This summer musical will be one for the books here in Kingman, to say the least. Bye Bye Birdie is one of the most iconic musicals to date, sitting up at the top with Music Man and Singin’ in the Rain. To up the stakes, the theater has brought many new faces to the stage, as well as incredibly talented stars.
In fact, Conrad Birdie will be played by Kingman’s biggest star, Chris Commisso. Chris has been performing throughout the area as well as singing and playing piano for Kingman Center of the Arts. His voice is jazzy and chocolatey—a satisfying crowd pleaser. As talented as he is, he couldn’t do this show alone, so the theater brought in some help.
For this production, the theater especially reached out to some special people. Much of this cast has been in the eyes of the community for years, we just haven’t put them on stage yet. Dave Kopecky, Mr. Macafee in the musical, has been a popular teacher at both Lee Williams High School and Kingman High School for years. Zach Burgess, playing Hugo, strongly represents the Bullhead City area. He is a major star in his hometown theater, as well as here in Beale Street Theater. Nobody can forget the Blakes at Blake Ranch outside of town, and Bob Blake will be representing the prominent family here in Kingman.
This musical will imprint Mohave County for years to come. Not only does the show bring back an iconic nostalgia from the ’50s, but this summer will be the greatest portrayal of a community coming together. Here at Beale Street Theater, we support art, culture, and most importantly, the right to rock our socks off.
Kingman’s Beale Street Theater’s production of Bye Bye Birdie will be premiering on June 13th at Kingman High School. You can see the complete and talented cast list at https://www.bealestreettheater.com/participate/auditions/.
-Skyler Holmes
