Stamos, Gershon, Irwin and Houdyshell to Headline Bye Bye Birdie Revival

Broadway alums John Stamos, Gina Gershon, Bill Irwin and Jane Houdyshell will headline Roundabout Theatre Company’s upcoming revival of the hit musical Bye Bye Birdie. The production, the first Broadway resurrection of the show since its 1961 debut, is set to hit the stage this fall, and will be directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom.

Featuring music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams and a book by Michael Stewart, Bye Bye Birdie the story of what happens when the news that an Elvis-like rock’n’roll superstar, Conrad Birdie, will be shipped off to the Army nabs national attention. The media hullabaloo is only amplified when Birdie’s agent, Albert Peterson Stamos, and his secretary and long-suffering love Rosie Gershon, plan a publicity stunt in which one lucky girl gets to bestow a farewell kiss upon their idol before he departs to serve his country. Irwin will take on the role of Mr. Harry MacAfee, father of Kim, the young lady chosen to lock lips with Birdie, while Houdyshell will appear as Albert’s overbearing mother, Mrs. Mae Peterson.

The show, which won a Tony Award for Best Musical, originally opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on April 14, 1960, transferring twice and playing a total of 607 performances before closing on October 7, 1961. A 1963 film adaptation followed, starring Dick Van Dyke as Albert, Janet Leigh as Rosie, Ann-Margaret as Kim McAfee, Paul Lynde as Harry MacAfee and Maureen Stapleton as Mae Peterson, going on to be nominated for two Academy Awards.

Stamos’ Broadway credits include Roundabout’s Tony Award winning productions of Cabaret and Nine, as well as the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The actor’s screen credits include Dreams, Full House, Jake in Progress and the final three seasons of hit series ER.

Gershon was most recently seen in the Tony Award winning revival of Boeing-Boeing last season. Like Stamos, Gershon also starred in Roundabout’s award-winning revival of Cabaret. Her long list of big and small screen credits include Showgirls, Bound, Face/Off, Snoops, Tripping the Rift, Ugly Betty, Rescue Me and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Irwin currently is starring on Broadway in Roundabout’s revival of Waiting for Godot. Additional Broadway credits include Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Fool Moon, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? and 2005’s Who’s Afraid of Viginia Woolf?, which earned him a Tony Award. Irwin was also recently seen in the Academy Award nominated film Rachel Getting Married.

Houdyshell is a longtime stage veteran returning to the Broadway stage after her turns in Wicked and the 2006 production Well. She will appear as the title star this spring in MCC’s off-Broadway debut of new musical Coraline.

Bye Bye Birdie will be a limited engagement. Additional casting and details will be announced at a later date.