I was never a big fan of "Bye Bye Birdie". Even in its time it seemed to me slight and unhip and like the work of adult writers smugly straining to comprehend the younger generation -- and I still cringe at the preciousness of some of its Lee Adams lyrics (to the sometimes equally precious Charlers Strouse music), such as those in "The Telephone Hour" as teenagers gossip ("What's the story, / Morning Glory? / "What's the tale,/ Nightengale?"). But I was also very aware that I was in a minority ... that most people held a very sweet place for it in their hearts. And I can't say I don't understand. "Birdie", in its quaint way, was the original "rock" musical -- and in retrospect, may have been the very last of the regular folks, sitcom style musicals to gain acceptance. Audiences identified. At the very least, they laughed a lot. Maybe that's enough.
So it's in that spirit that I review the soundtrack album of the upcoming telefilm adaptation of the musical. And strictly on its own terms, without my having seen the telefilm (whose broadcast date of December 3, 1995 is a week off, as of this writing), it has to be heralded an almost unqualified success. In terms of theatrical authenticity, dynamic performances and faithfulness to the score, it is every bit as valid a rendition as the Original Cast Album of 1960. Even more noteworthy: no performance on the new album is beholden to a performance on the old. Each actor manages to re-invent his/her role without warping the sensibility of the material.
Indeed, one can't get much further from the whitebread charm of Dick Van Dyke, who created the role od teacher-turned-rock-star-manager Albert Peterson, than the manically comic Jason Alexander -- yet Mr. Alexander lends his songs his own distinctive charm -- especially "Put on a Happy Face" -- and a very sweet, versatile voice. Same with the character turns, such as George Wendt as a befuddled parent, whose wheezy bluster compares favorably to Paul Lynde's fussiness.
If there is a place where the shine is less than bright, it is Vanessa Williams, stepping, for the second time in her career, into a role created by Chita Rivera (the first was on Broadway in "Kiss of the Spider Woman"). Vocally. Ms. Williams is proficient and pleasant, but there's little in the way of fire or interpretive nuance. As in "Spider Woman" she gets the job done admirably ... but not exceptionally.
Nonetheless, the new "Birdie" album -- which includes three previously unrecorded tracks -- belongs on any comprehensive theatre recording shelf. It bodes well for the quality of the telefilm ... and perhaps, dare we hope, for the future of musicals on television in general.
Jameson Baker is a free-lance theatre journalist. He has written CD liner notes and articles for several magazines and newspapers, among them Vanity Fair.