PB Perspectives beautifully concluded yet another set of spectacular musical performances in mid-March as they finished a fine show run of Bye Bye Birdie.

The musical, set in the 1950s, follows the lives of music business manager Albert Peterson, played by junior Pierre Mballa, and his secretary and girlfriend, Rosie Alvarez, played by senior Jezica Siarez, as they embark on an amusing journey of self-discovery. Feisty Rosie wants Albert to give up his career in the music business and become an English teacher, as he once planned to do. Needing her support, Albert agrees to quit his business career once they reel in final profits from exploiting rock-and-roll superstar Conrad Birdie’s fan base one last time before he leaves for the Army.

Rosie concocts a plan for Conrad to sing Albert’s new song, “One Last Kiss,” followed by a real goodbye kiss to one of his fans on The Ed Sullivan Show. She’s confident such a finale will shoot the song to the top of the charts.

The lucky random girl chosen is 15-year-old Kim MacAfee, played by sophomore Savannah Kunze, who hails from the small town of Sweet Apple, Ohio. Kim’s boyfriend, Hugo Peabody, played by senior Ian Edge, becomes jealous and suspicious of Kim’s adoration of Conrad.

Sweet Apple receives Conrad Birdie, played by sophomore Irvin Pamah, as a hero. As he sings, “Honestly Sincere,” men, women, and elderly alike cannot handle Conrad’s hip action, and all faint on stage, while the audience roared with laughter.

During the performance, the audience inwardly cringed during all of Albert’s blunders in his relationship with Rosie. When he accepts the “professional” help of Gloria Rasputin, played by Gracie Scianella, a woman his overbearing and melodramatic mother, Mrs. Mae Peterson, played by junior Mahelet Yonas, introduces him to, Rosie becomes outraged and fantasizes over Albert’s death in multiple scenarios.

Angry and hurt, Rosie and Hugo band together. As a result of their scheming, Hugo, on national television, punches Conrad in the face, and Rosie breaks up with Albert during The Ed Sullivan Show.

After numerous, and rash, impulses by children and adults alike, the conflict between characters resolve itself. Albert finally finds himself, stands up against his mother and goes after his own desires and love for Rosie. Hugo and Kim reconcile and are presumed to have their own peaceful ending, while Conrad Birdie unceremoniously leaves to become a soldier, as he covertly escapes authorities.

The actors could not agree more. Senior Jezica Siarez explained, “I think we definitely could have used more practice to perform better, but I also think it helped us because it made us work harder with the limited days, and so I really do think we put out the best performance we could.”

It is important to remember that the orchestral facet of musicals adds an extra layer of challenges to production. Senior violinist Sindhu Muppala excitedly explained, “One of the biggest problems we [often] face is that we can’t actually hear the singers, but [this] was a perfect show! We heard everything [and] we saw everything.”

After talking with a few cast members backstage, they explained that their greatest challenges varied from maintaining character, to learning dance steps, to sustaining a specific vocal level. However, from the audience’s perspective, these difficulties were practically nonexistent.

Bye Bye Birdie is a light, comical, and highly entertaining show with endearing and relatable characters. The show, in a word, is fun. It is a heart-warming tale of love, growing up, and family relationships that instantly connects with audience members of all ages.