Pueblo West High School students to 'Put on a happy face' for 'Bye Bye Birdie' musical

Pueblo West High School performing arts students will step into the spotlight this week with three performances of a musical inspired by the great Elvis Presley.

"Bye Bye Birdie" is a 1960 musical inspired by a book penned two years earlier. It follows Conrad Birdie, a '50s rock and roll star who, like Presley, is drafted into the army. Birdie's draft leaves songwriter and agent Albert Peterson looking for ways to save his struggling music company so he devises a plan to write a new song for Birdie to perform before sharing a kiss with a contest-winning fan on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Pueblo West High School's performances of "Bye Bye Birdie" will be held March 15, 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased for $10 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Nattadon Khaowised, an exchange student from Thailand, plays Birdie in the production. Prior to being cast as Birdie, Khaowised was not too familiar with '50s Rock and Roll music. However, he became well acquainted with the genre's biggest stars, like Presley, by studying YouTube videos of interviews and live performances.

Gabriel Iacabone, a Pueblo West senior, plays Peterson, who Iacabone describes as "an overwhelmed man" who "only thinks for himself." Peterson puts off proposing to his longtime girlfriend and secretary Rosie Alvarez, played by senior Livia Pecoraro. Pueblo West senior Summer Johnson plays Peterson's overbearing mother, Mae, who resents the relationship between Peterson and Alvarez.

Senior Karlee Valdez plays Kim McAfee, the leader of a Conrad Birdie fan club who wins the contest and gets to kiss Birdie on the Ed Sullivan show.

"The McAfee family has a part where they sing about how glorious Ed Sullivan is," Valdez said. "It's kind of cool to have a TV show host that my parents knew and loved ... Now we're singing about them. It's like we are going to church."

In addition to an ensemble of talented students, Pueblo West High School's production of the show includes appearances by three staff members. Burnham Whittington, who plays the voice of Ed Sullivan, is a journalism teacher and a stadium announcer at the school's sporting events. Counselor Julie McMurry and history teacher Michael Smith also make appearances in the show.

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Rosina Sonntag serves as the production's choreographer, stage director and producer. Susan Kinnischtzke serves as its music director. "Put on a happy face" is arguably the musical's most famous song with well-known versions by Dick Van Dyke and Tony Bennett.

"The other songs are very much teen idol types of songs. ... We've got the Sweet Apple Teenager Fan Club who are really involved in all of the appearances of Conrad with a lot of hysteria and crying," Kinnischtzke said. "It's a lot of fun. It's a really funny show."

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: 'Bye Bye Birdie' musical coming to Pueblo West High School March 15-17