If the characters clad in leather jackets and poodle skirts weren’t enough of an indication, the Moffat County High School spring production takes place in the yesteryear of American pop culture. Yet with the energy and enthusiasm that local students bring to the show, a setting of six decades ago may as well be today.

MCHS will perform the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the MCHS auditorium, with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee as well.

The story follows struggling music industry personnel Albert Peterson and Rose Alvarez, whose teen idol client, Conrad Birdie, is suddenly drafted into military service. The development allows them to host a contest for the singer to make a public appearance to serenade one random member of his fan club on television.

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Perrin Smith portrays Albert and Guadalupe Lopez is Rose.

The starring role is Smith’s first, as well as the first time on the stage for the MCHS sophomore.

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“There’s a lot of lines, but it’s not really hard to remember them,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun being with these people.”

Lopez, on the other hand, has been in multiple MCHS shows and is quite comfortable in the latest role.

“This one has a lot more scenes and songs that I’m in,” Lopez said. “She has duets and solos and times where she’s yelling at people. She’s a very confident woman.”

While the fall is typically when Moffat County drama has staged a musical, director Juliann Mathison noted that switching the format to the spring has its perks, namely making it easier for band students to contribute to the live accompaniment from the orchestra pit.

“A lot of schools switch back and forth and have the musical rotate semesters,” she said. “This is a great way to help make sure more students have an opportunity to be in a musical at some point during their high school career. Spring is a busy time for sure, but being able to have a musical in the spring has helped us include students that have missed musicals in the past.”

Things like rotary phones and references to people like Albert Schweitzer may date the story as being in the early 1960s, as does the teenage act of “pinning” between “steadies.”

Keylee Bower plays average American girl Kim MacAfee, whose fledgling romance with boyfriend Hugo is thrown into chaos once she is picked for the honor of being Birdie’s TV partner.

“I get to be a character I’ve never been before, and I’ve never really played a teenager until now,” she said. “She’s a lot different because I’m not a brat like her, but it’s fun to pretend the whole world revolves around you like it does for her.

Ronin Miller, who plays the title character, noted Birdie is a rock star in the best and worst sense.

“He’s very full of himself, very arrogant, I’d say,” he said. “It’s not the hardest role I’ve done, but previous roles I’ve done, it’s very polar opposite.

He added it’s challenged him vocally.

“The songs are very Elvis-inspired but also a little Sinatra,” he said. “I’ve been able to drop my register a lot for the songs and the speaking parts.”

Regardless of who audience members associate with teenage dreamboats — whether it’s Pat Boone or Harry Styles — Mathison noted that the show will connect with multiple generations for different reasons.

“Good storytelling and good music are timeless. This story and music are just fun and entertaining, regardless of the age,” she said. “Older audience members may connect with the nostalgia factor, but younger audiences can connect with the great characters, funny dialogue and catchy songs. There really is something for everyone in this show.”

Moffat County High School’s “Bye Bye Birdie”

Director — Juliann Matheson

Cast

Albert Peterson —  Perrin Smith
Rose Alvarez —  Guadalupe Lopez
Conrad Birdie —  Ronin Miller
Mr. MacAfee —  Anthony Stene
Mrs. MacAfee —  Hannah Kilpatrick
Kim MacAfee —  Keylee Bower
Randolph MacAfee —  Olivia Cordova
Hugo Peabody —  William Roberts
Ursula Merkle —  Marie Roberts
Mrs. Mae Peterson —  Cheyenne Grivy
Gloria Rasputin, Nancy —  MaryAnn Booker
Citizens of Sweet Apple, Ohio —  Taya Told, Ivy Campbell, Isabelle Fandel, Tristen Walks, Ari White, Joelle Miller, Jaxom Gunderson, Kambria Reinolds, Jojo Fraipont, Maisie Matheson, Hana Sadatomo, Ally Kesler

Stage Crew

Compton Byers, Jory Herod, Raelynn Merwin, Mira Nichols Abigail Seim, Kambree Satterwhite

Light/Sound Technicians

Mason Sullivan, Jackson Petree, Lex Bergstrom

Musical Crew
Lia Arnold — Director
Sunny White — Flute (Reed 1)
Rosy Cortes — Flute (Reed 1)
Ellianna Crain — Flute (Reed 1)
Andera Thomas — Flute (Reed 1)
Camila Nunez Marin — Clarinet (Reed 2)
Taylor Powell — Alto saxophone (Reed 2)
Carrie Brown — Tenor saxophone (Reed 3)
Shane Del Toro — Clarinet and baritone saxophone (Reed 4)
Eric Warner — French horn
Jim Simpson — Trumpet
Caleb Crumpton — Trumpet
Bryon Smith — Guitar and bass
Isaack Reyes — Percussion
Aida Harrell — Percussion
Abby Shawcroft — Piano
Lief Albaugh — String synthesizer