Though about 40 years old, 'Bye Bye Birdie' remains relevant. Teen girls swooned for the Elvis-like Birdie as they do now for the Jonas Brothers. A professional tour of the musical plays Valdosta Tuesday night.

VALDOSTA — “Bye Bye Birdie” means hello road for the cast of the popular musical.

The Windwood Theatrical production makes one of its first stops Tuesday night in Valdosta as part of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts Presenter Series. Last week, The Valdosta Daily Times spoke with two of the principal actors before the show’s opening night in Virginia.



BIRDIE: Eli Budwell

“Bye Bye Birdie” features an Elvis-type star named Conrad Birdie preparing to go into the Army. One of the fun things about the character is that Birdie is inspired by Elvis, but he is not Elvis.

That’s also one of the fun things about playing Birdie, Eli Budwell says.

“No one can really be Elvis,” Budwell says. “But I put a little Elvis in there but a little John Travolta too. A little ‘Greased Lightning’ (which Travolta performed in ‘Grease’). But not so much that I can’t be me, too.”

Trained in New York, Budwell travels professionally for the first time with “Bye Bye Birdie,” which will be on the road for about 14 weeks.

After touring the nation, “Birdie” may return to Broadway. If it does, Budwell would like to be the Birdie on Broadway.

He’s concerned about keeping in shape while on the road.

Birdie wears tight pants, and Budwell would prefer looking like the early, thin Elvis rather than the older, thicker Elvis.



KIM: Lara Hayhurst

Another New York-trained actor, Lara Hayhurst also tours professionally for the first time with “Bye Bye Birdie.”

The notion of seeing the country while performing excites Hayhurst. Considering she plays the very crazy-for-Birdie teen Kim, Hayhurst must keep excited and excitable.

“Kim is a sweetheart,” Hayhurst says of her character.

Ann-Margret gave a memorable performance as Kim in the movie version of “Birdie.” That was 40 years ago, and Hayhurst feels little pressure to copy Ann-Margret.

Still, with the Ann-Margret image in mind, many may not recall that the character of Kim is only 15 years old. Hayhurst, 24, says playing such youth requires energy.

“It keeps you going,” Hayhurst says. “Kim’s such a sweet funny girl. She’s so young. Sometimes I feel like I’m being ridiculous.”

She feels ridiculous because superstar Birdie drives Kim crazy. This teen mania for celebrities, however, keeps “Bye Bye Birdie” relevant two generations after its premiere.

“Birdie is definitely an Elvis character,” Hayhurst says. “He has that excitement like Beatlemania around him. That’s still happening. Today, it’s the Jonas Brothers. So that hasn’t changed.”



SHOWTIME

The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts Presenter Series hosts “Bye Bye Birdie.”

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Where: Mathis City Auditorium, 2300 N. Ashley St.

Ticket: $45.

Reservations, more information: Call 247-2787; or visit the arts center at 527 N. Patterson St.