‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Musical Opens With Big Music, Big Laughs and Classic Broadway Fun!

Whether you’re between summer vacations or staying local, Stage Right’s live production of ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ offers a fun night of music, comedy and community theater at the historic Crighton Theatre.

Stage Right of Texas presents “Bye Bye Birdie” July 3-19, 2026, at the historic Crighton Theatre in downtown Conroe. The production has a running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission. Tickets are available by calling 936-441-7469 or visiting stage-right.org or crightontheatre.org. Stage Right of Texas is the resident theatre company at the historic Crighton Theatre.

CONROE, Texas — For families looking for a July outing, a summer date night or a night out with friends, Stage Right of Texas’ production of “Bye Bye Birdie” offers exactly the kind of community arts experience that still matters.

The production, running July 3-19 at the historic Crighton Theatre in downtown Conroe, is bright, funny, musical and intentionally theatrical. It is not a show trying to be subtle, and that is part of its charm. “Bye Bye Birdie” was built for the stage — for big movement, crisp comedy, dancing, ensemble energy and songs that sound best when they are shared in a room full of people. Under the direction of Ryan Dineen, with choreography by Tabitha Simper and stage management by Lorelei Webb, Stage Right leans into those strengths and gives audiences a polished, lively and deeply enjoyable night out.

Director Ryan Dineen

That is reason enough for the community to go. Local theater is not simply entertainment on a smaller scale. It is where young performers learn discipline, where experienced performers keep creating, where families see neighbors in a new light and where a historic venue becomes a gathering place instead of just a building. A streaming movie can be watched alone. A live musical asks an audience to be present together.

Kaitlyn Olson, who plays Kim MacAfee, described that difference well. “What’s so beautiful about theater is it really has stood the test of time,” she said. “It’s something fresh every night.” Olson added that audiences are not just watching from a distance; in live theater, they become “a part of our story.” That spirit is at the center of this production.

“Bye Bye Birdie” is a loving send-up of 1950s small-town America, teenage hysteria, television celebrity and the cultural shockwave of rock & roll. Teen idol Conrad Birdie has been drafted into the Army. Before he leaves, his manager, Albert Peterson, and secretary, Rosie Alvarez, devise one last publicity stunt: Conrad will give one lucky teenage fan, Kim MacAfee, a farewell kiss on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

The plot is simple, but the world around it is rich with comic possibility. Parents do not understand their children. Teenagers feel everything at full volume. A record label is in trouble. A town is overwhelmed by celebrity. And one pop star’s arrival turns ordinary life upside down. The names, hairstyles and telephones may belong to another era, but the satire of fandom still feels recognizable.

Dineen’s production succeeds because it lets “Birdie” be “Birdie.” It does not try to drag the show into the present or apologize for every period detail. Instead, it presents the musical as a 1950s-era comedy with color, exaggeration and affection. The result is a show that feels nostalgic without feeling dusty.

Dineen said he hopes audiences leave with something simple and valuable. “If people come away humming the tunes, having a good laugh, I’m a happy camper,” he said. He also described the production as “a couple hours of escape and release and fun.” In a summer filled with noise, screens and constant distraction, that is not a small thing.

Sometimes a community needs exactly that — two hours to laugh together, hear familiar songs, discover local performers and walk out lighter than when they arrived.

At the center of the production is Cameron Collier as Albert Peterson. Collier gives Albert the loose-limbed, high-energy physicality that classic musical comedy requires. His dancing and movement carry a clear Dick Van Dyke flavor, not as imitation, but as a reminder of the style that made the role famous. Albert can become frantic in the wrong hands. Collier keeps him funny, likable and human. He plays the panic, but he also gives the character warmth.

Cameron Collier as Albert Peterson & Gracie Duong as Rosie Alvarez.

Opposite him, Gracie Duong is excellent as Rosie Alvarez. Duong brings smooth movement, sharp timing and a confident stage presence that balances Albert’s nervous energy. Rosie has to be the emotional center of the story and the adult in the room, even when the comedy around her starts spinning. Duong handles that responsibility with polish.

For Duong, the role also carries personal meaning. She said Rosie was the first Latin-based character she has played as a Latina performer, and the opportunity made her excited because it allowed her family to see that part of her identity represented on stage. When asked about her dancing, Duong answered with humility and humor, saying what she lacked in formal training she tried to make up for with “enthusiasm and charisma.” On stage, that enthusiasm reads as assurance. Her movement is fluid, and her dialogue timing is especially strong.

Dineen described the chemistry between Collier and Duong as one of the production’s gifts. The two knew each other before the show, and he called that built-in trust “the world’s greatest cheat code.” It shows. Albert and Rosie need to feel like two people who can argue, flirt, frustrate each other and still belong together. Collier and Duong make that relationship believable, which gives the production its emotional spine.

Ian Montez brings swagger, humor and genuine musical authority to Conrad Birdie. Conrad is a tricky role because, despite having his name in the title, he is not really the emotional center of the show. He is the spark. His arrival sets everyone else into motion. Montez understands that and avoids playing the role as a flat Elvis parody.

Montez said Conrad is “the backdrop of the show,” part of a satire on the “mass hysteria” created by Elvis and other teen idols. A longtime student of mid-century music, Montez said his performance draws not only from Elvis, but also from Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Little Richard and other performers and comedians. He called the role “a love letter to a lot of guys I really admired and inspired me to play guitar and sing.”

That research gives the performance depth. Montez knows how to stand, how to lean into a song, how to make the teenagers’ screams believable and how to make the adults’ concern funny. His singing is strong, but it is the detail in the performance that makes his Conrad work. He plays Birdie as part idol, part troublemaker and part comic disruption.

Olson is bright and appealing as Kim MacAfee, the All-American teenager chosen for Conrad’s farewell kiss. Kim can sometimes be reduced to a squealing fan, but Olson gives her more dimension. She lets Kim be young, excited and dramatic without turning her into a joke. Her singing and dancing are strong, and she understands the golden age style of the show.

Olson, a graduate of The Woodlands Christian Academy and a student at Abilene Christian University, has played Kim before and said she was eager to return to the role. “I love ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’” she said. “I love golden age-style shows. I just love all the energy and the positivity of it.” That affection is visible in her performance, especially in the way she keeps Kim optimistic and open-hearted.

Kaitlyn Olson as Kim MacAfee,

Her comments also explain why this production works as a summer community event. Olson said she hopes the show brings people “some light” and “some positivity,” especially at a time when it can be easy to focus on what is negative. That is exactly the value of this “Birdie.” It is not escapism in a careless sense. It is escape in the best sense: a chance to sit together, laugh together and enjoy something created live by people from the region.

TJ Poulos adds a strong comic turn as Harry MacAfee. His physical humor is one of the production’s clear pleasures, and he makes Harry’s parental frustration both believable and funny. Harry depends on timing — the pause, the look, the sudden burst of exasperation — and Poulos understands those beats. He gives the MacAfee household much of its comic life.

The supporting principal cast fills out the world well, including Abigail Barthauer as Doris MacAfee, Simon Pichard as Randolph MacAfee, Justine Gray as Mae Peterson, Samuel Cotton as Hugo Peabody and Mali Ryann Santos as Ursula Merkle. Ursula is especially important in establishing the teenage frenzy that fuels the story, and Santos helps sell the fan-club excitement that makes Conrad Birdie feel like a true phenomenon.

The ensemble is one of the major reasons the production succeeds. “Bye Bye Birdie” needs a large, lively cast. It needs adults who can make the town feel real, teens who can make the hysteria believable and enough movement to fill the stage during the big numbers. Stage Right has that.

The adult ensemble includes Hallie Teague, Melody Montez, Mikayla Berwick, Ali Stewart, Lee Stewart, Carlos Soto, Mike Cotton, Katie Pickard, Catherine Collins and Jessica Herrin. The teen ensemble includes Sophia Von Koschembanr, Georgie Whitten, Lily Sample-Conley, Sophie Conley, Bella Ragland, Lucas Marshall, PJ Tobin, Leo Winford, Jacob Araujo and Mikah Atkinson. For Woodlands-area audiences, Whitten adds a nice local connection as a Woodlands High School cheerleader whose talents clearly extend to singing, dancing and acting.

The highlight of the evening is the music and dancing. With choreography by Tabitha Simper, numbers including “Put on a Happy Face,” “The Telephone Hour,” “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” and the title number remind the audience why this show has lasted. These songs are catchy, but they are also theatrical. They are written to be seen as much as heard. When the large numbers arrive, the production has the kind of energy that makes people smile before they even realize they are smiling.

The comedy timing is also strong. “Bye Bye Birdie” can feel slow if the rhythm is off, but this cast keeps the jokes moving. The physical comedy is clear, the reactions are big without being careless and the pacing allows the humor to build. During the best moments, the production has the feel of a classic stage comedy where everyone understands the world they are playing in.

There are, of course, parts of “Bye Bye Birdie” that belong unmistakably to its era, including its treatment of teenagers, parents, gender roles and celebrity culture. But Stage Right’s production succeeds because it presents the show honestly as a period musical. It lets the audience see the exaggeration, enjoy the satire and recognize both how much has changed and how much has not.

That balance is another reason community members should make the trip to downtown Conroe. This is not only about seeing a familiar title. It is about supporting a resident theater company, a historic theater and a cast of local performers who are giving time, talent and energy to create something that only exists while it is happening.

Stage Right of Texas’ “Bye Bye Birdie” is bright, funny, nostalgic and full of heart. It has strong leads, a committed ensemble, memorable music and the kind of old-school musical-comedy energy that fits beautifully inside the Crighton Theatre. It is a summer production in the best sense: light on its feet, generous in spirit and built to send audiences back into the night humming.

Performances run July 3-19 at the historic Crighton Theatre in downtown Conroe. The production has a running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission. For tickets, call 936-441-7469 or visit stage-right.org or crightontheatre.org.