Inspired by rock ’n’ roll legend Elvis Presley being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1957, the satire “Bye Bye Birdie” is set in 1958 and is on the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts stage through July 11. Monday afternoon, second-year Wagon Wheel actors Scott Fuss and Ellen Jenders discussed their roles as Albert Peterson and Rose Alvarez respectively in the hit Broadway musical. Alvarez is Peterson’s secretary in the show. Peterson is the agent for Conrad Birdie – the big superstar based on Presley. “I’m balancing my career with him, my relationship with my mother and my relationship with (Rose) all at the same time, and they’re all conflicting,” Fuss explained. With the show being inspired by Presley’s draft into the Armed Forces, there are similarities to the real story, Fuss said, recounting what “Birdie” director Tony Humrichouser told the company. “The ploy – because Elvis was seen as this sexual icon – and so in the ’50s he was kind of the first, The Beatles would come right after him, the late 1950s was a point of transition in America in history – so they put him in the Army as a ploy to get everyone to accept him,” Fuss said. “Teenagers really liked Elvis, but the adults didn’t really like Elvis because of what he represented. But if he joined the Army, then everyone would because everyone loves a military man in uniform who serves his country, and he did. And that’s kind of a point, a note to the story that’s really interesting.” There’s also the split between the adults and the kids in “Bye Bye Birdie,” Jenders said. “That’s a major part of this show, too, is the adults trying to hold onto their children being children as long as they can, and all the kids in the show having this awakening, which is orchestrated by Conrad Birdie. So that’s what creates a lot of this conflict – new thoughts and new feelings,” she said. Fuss said there’s a funny moment in the musical where the adults act like kids and the kids act like the adults. “I think that’s always funny in shows,” he said. With music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams and a book by Michael Stewart, the show won Tony Awards in 1961 for best musical, best direction of a musical, best choreography and best performance by a featured actor in a musical for Dick Van Dyke. It also was nominated for four other awards. “You know a Charles Strouse (song). He wrote ‘Annie,’ he wrote tons of songs. He wrote the theme song for ‘All in the Family,’ if you know that show. He’s known for writing super catchy songs. Every song is singable. Our castmates are singing them backstage after we do a run,” Fuss said in explaining why the show’s been so popular since its original 1960-61 Broadway debut. Along with Van Dyke, the original production also featured Chita Rivera, who has won two Tony Awards and been nominated for multiple more since her first nomination in 1961 with “Bye Bye Birdie.” Fuss said Van Dyke and Rivera were “two huge stars” of the time period. “The parts were written for them,” Jenders said. “It shows, but it’s such a great story. The music is so classic,” Fuss said. Jenders stated, “You wouldn’t remember that they’re from ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ For example, ‘Put on a Happy Face.’ A lot of people wouldn’t remember or even know that’s from ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ So, it’s kind of this fun musical journey through the show, too, because there’s going to be that recognition from, I think, a bunch of age groups and stuff like that, which is why I think it’ll be great for the whole family, because going through the show parents are going to recognize all these great songs, and even the kids. It’s a lot of fun.” Fuss said it’s a well-written show, and Jenders added that it’s also a smart show. “You don’t get that very often,” Fuss said. “I think that’s one of the strongest points of the show – having the creative team as tight as they were.” “Even the humor carries over remarkably well into today’s culture,” Jenders said. “It’s really strong. It’s a strong book.” Wagon Wheel wrapped up a production of “West Side Story” Saturday, which was a racially charged modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” “West Side Story” originally hit Broadway in 1957, just a few years before “Bye Bye Birdie.” “Bye Bye Birdie” also features a character with racist attitudes in the form of Peterson’s mother, Mae. “There was only a four-year span between the creation of the two shows, so it’s definitely still an issue that’s addressed in this show,” Jenders said. “It’s just funny because the character of Rosie – she’s American. She was born in America, she’s from Pennsylvania. It says so in the show. So I think it’s really smart,” Fuss said. “... It’s playfully racist, if that makes any sense. ... But then it escalates. It serves the story in the way it does it. It’s not the message it’s telling, but it really uses it in a smart way.” “But she’s seeing me as this shell of a person based on where she thinks I come from; and it’s almost laughable because at the end I’m just accepting it and saying, ‘OK, you know what? If you want to see me that way, that’s great, but this is the person I am and I’m making your son happy,” Jenders said. “It’s not a show about race, but it’s an interesting part about it. And I think it’s interesting it’s coming off ‘West Side Story.’ I didn’t think about that,” Fuss remarked. For Fuss, “Bye Bye Birdie” is about growing up. “The kids are 15, 16, this cusp of adulthood. Puberty is mentioned more than once in this show. It’s about growing up, it’s about your relationship with your family,” he said. For Albert, it’s about deciding where he wants to put his focus – his family, his career or his new family with Alvarez. “It’s about making the hard choices when you have to grow up.” Jenders said, “I think the persistence of love, and the stubbornnesss at the same time, how in the end if you’re working out a relationship with someone, there is a certain degree of acceptance. And I think acceptance is a big part of this show, too, and just staying true to yourself. And seeing the other person for who they are, remembering why you fell in love in the first place, working through conflict.” All the characters love and care for each other in the show, Fuss said, otherwise the show wouldn’t work. Jenders said that for anyone coming to the show, “Come ready to laugh. Come with an open mind.” Quoting Humrichouser, Fuss said, “Come and be ready to appreciate a masterpiece of musical theater. And like he says, this is our Shakespeare. This is our American heritage. That’s really reflected in the show and our production of this show. And I hope people can come and take that in.” To view the complete interview with Fuss and Jenders, visit the free video section of the Times-Union website at www.timesuniononline.com Tickets are on sale at Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts or can be purchased online at wagonwheelcenter.org The cost of admission is $32 for adults, $24 for seniors, $18 for students and $14 for children up to age 12. Call the box office at 574-267-8041 with any questions.
