Written by orange• June 9, 2026• 5:33 pm• La Habra, La Habra Depot Theatre, Musical, Uncategorized

Bye Bye Birdie @ Phantom Projects Theatre – Review

Photo Credit: Alexis Gonzalez

Written by Patrick Chavis

Bye Bye Birdie is playing now at the Phantom Projects Theatre, June 5 – 21, 2026.

Bye Bye Birdie is a very popular Broadway musical from the 1960’s. That was also made into a very popular film in 1963. And then, in the early 2000’s, while not a direct update, the film Win a Date with Tad Hamilton is very much inspired by Birdie and would most likely not exist without its influence.

The Phantom Projects Theater’s revival of the play stays incredibly true to the source material. Even keeping in a controversial sequence that hasn’t aged so well. This staging was directed/choreographed by Alan M-L Wager, with a few uneven performances but even more good times!

Story:

Bye Bye Birdie is a musical set in the 1960’s about a competition where the winner gets a kiss from Conrad Birdie (Bruno A. Satalino), think Elvis Presley, Beatles levels of fame, before he goes off to serve in the military. The musical also chronicles the lunacy that this fame conjures, highlighting the divide between the old guard and youth culture at the time.

The pacing of this show is actually quite snappy, and the musical tunes all have a comical edge. So there’s a lot of fun to be had in this show, and I had a really good time. I think the pacing can be hard to maintain, and this is where the biggest issues occurred. Not a fan of some of the blocking implemented. That said, much of the casting in this was spot-on.

Acting:

Vocals, presence, and charm for days, Reese Chavez is phenomenal in the role of Kim MacAfee. What a performance. Chavez was able to really capture the character’s naivety and, vocally, perform these tunes at such a level.

Bruno A. Satalino’s performance captures Elvis Presley’s swag without going too silly, and his dancing and singing will have you saying “mercy”!

I love it when actors give it their all in smaller roles, and Hayden Sara Radonsky (Ursula) is a perfect example. Giving 100% intensity as Ursula, the super fan. She brings out such hilarious moments with her enthusiasm.

I mean, look at the pic above, it was like that, like most of the show.

More Thoughts:

As do many plays and shows, they are products of their time. Bye Bye Birdie is most definitely in that camp. There is a song, “Shriners Ballet,” where the intention is to subvert expectations and empower women. The scene also falls into stereotypical ideas and is problematic in its sexual innuendo because of reality. It’s imperfect and flawed, and, in this reviewer’s opinion, it fails in its attempt to empower.

So I think it’s probably better to skip it or find other creative ways to stage it better. That being said, by keeping the material the same. We have something to look back on and see how things have changed, and it can open up a dialogue about it, like I’m doing here in this article. There’s definitely nuance in this discussion and something that’s worth talking about, particularly when we find political interests trying to neuter history.