Bye Bye Birdie at Los Gatos Fisher Middle School, 1 Weekend Only

Before there was Bieber, there was Birdie!

Conrad Birdie, that is.

Only the dreamiest teen idol in America. 

But oh no! It seems Conrad has been drafted.

Not only does this news devastate an entire nation of teenagers, it also threatens to send his song writer, Albert Peterson, straight to the unemployment line.

So Albert, and his secretary/sweetheart, Rosie, organize a contest in which one random girl from Conrad's fan club wins a farewell kiss on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Kim MacAfee is the lucky recipient, but thanks to her irritable father and jealous boyfriend, hilarious complications ensue. 

Don't miss RJ Fisher Middle school's spring musical, Bye Bye Birdie, one weekend only, March 21-24. Students have been working hard for the past few months memorizing lines, as well as singing and dancing to classic songs such as "Put on a Happy Face." To enable more students to participate, the show was double cast. The "Neato" and "Groovy" casts will alternate performances. 

Inspired by the phenomenon of Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the Army in 1957, Birdie was one of Broadway's all time most popular musicals. Dick Van Dyke played Albert in the show, which won several Tony awards. Van Dyke also starred in the film version alongside Janet Leigh and Ann-Margret. 

Bye Bye Birdie is a world away from today's teenage norms such as Facebook and texting, and therein lies the show's retro charm.

"It takes place in a simplier time. These kids are going steady and getting pinned. It was really cool to take a blast from the past to a time that even my parents didn't grow up in," says Danika Lyle, who plays Rosie in the Neato cast. "Of course we had to Google a lot of references," she adds.

Sarah Aaldering, an eighth grader, has been doing double duty. In addition to playing Kim in the "Groovy" cast, Sarah is also the youngest competitor to ever make the South Bay Idol finals. A fan of both opera and classical music, Sarah, 13, breezed through the semi-finals by singing "Climb Any Mountain" from the Sound of Music. Sarah will have just a brief respite before finals, which take place in April.

Bye Bye Birdie shows are at 7 p.m. March 21-23, with matinees scheduled for 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday March 23 and at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 24. Tickets are $12 adults and $10 students 17 and under.

To purchase tickets in advance, visit http://www.fisherhsc.com/BBBtickets.html. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.