Bring the family to see the Broadway smash hit “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oak Brook, January 14-March 13, and stay at the nearby and child friendly Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!
“Bye Bye Birdie,” originally called “Let’s Go Steady,” is a parody of the Elvis Presley years, when Presley went into the army. (Ironically, the first choreographer approached was the great Fred Astaire, but the movie star turned it down.) The show is filled with iconic songs such as “Put on a Happy Face,” “Normal American Boy,” “A Lot of Loving to Do,” and “Kids.”
Conrad Birdie is about to go into the army, to the dismay of Ohio teenage girls. Before he does, a national contest is held to select a lucky girl to receive “One Last Kiss” on the Ed Sullivan Show. The winner, Kim MacAfee, is from Sweet Apple, Ohio. Conrad moves in the MacAfee family, and hilarity ensues. And that’s just Act 1!
“Bye Bye Birdie” opened on Broadway in 1961, starring Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera, Paul Lynde, and Charles Nelson Reilly. The musical plays somewhere in the world every night of the year.
The Drury Lane Theatre is located at 100 Drury Lane in Oak Brook Terrace. For tickets, call the box office at (866) 820-4553 or go online to www.drurylanetheatre.ticketscenter.com and follow the prompts.
Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside, just a short drive to “Bye Bye Birdie” at Drury Lane Theatre, provides free shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport in Chicago. The hotel offers affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.