Senior Class Says “Bye” to High School in “Bye Bye Birdie”

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As the end of the school year approaches, the sight of seniors in the hallways of SHS has become gradually more scarce. However, from Friday May 17 through Sunday May 19, the Scarsdale High School auditorium filled with guests as the senior class bade farewell to the high school—as well as to Conrad Birdie—in the eagerly anticipated senior class play: Bye Bye Birdie.

Set in 1958, the play attempts to capture the frenzy of countless teenage fangirls when renowned rockstar and heartthrob Conrad Birdie (played by Ben Schwartz) is drafted into the army, leaving his songwriter, Albert Peterson (Noam Cherki) and Albert’s girlfriend Rosie Alvarez (Lindsay Gelles) behind. In an attempt to have her boyfriend leave show business and become a teacher, Rosie encourages Albert to compose a song for Birdie and have Birdie give “one last kiss” to a fan on television. When Kim MacAfee (Becca Sklar), a young teenage girl, is chosen, her boyfriend Hugo Peabody’s (Joey Lane) jealous actions lead to several chaotic events.

A wonderful opportunity for seniors to show off their acting skills and hang out with their friends, the annual senior class production is truly something to look forward to each year. “I really couldn’t have asked for a better experience than to do something that has always been so special to me with all of my grade,” said Talia Schulhof ’19. Although it was mainly chosen for the abundance of roles, “if you saw the production, you could really tell that everyone was having a lot of fun and part of that was the actual content of the play itself,” noted Noam Cherki ’19.

Directed by Katie Nova and with music from the senior’s pit orchestra, the play was organized by seniors, but the help from the custodial staff, stage crew, and technical supervisor Steve Bogardus contributed to its great success.