By John Guidroz

jguidroz@americanpress.com

By John Guidroz

jguidroz@americanpress.com

Lake Charles Little Theatre closes its 93rd season with “Bye Bye Birdie,” a musical that was introduced on Broadway in the early 1960s.

The production kicks off with shows at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Additional 7:30 p.m. shows are set for April 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27. A second 2 p.m. show is set for April 28.

The musical tells the story of Conrad Birdie, a rock-n-roll star, being drafted into the Army. Birdie has a scheduled farewell live performance on the Ed Sullivan Show to sing “One Last Kiss,” a song written by Albert Peterson. The performance is a last ditch attempt for Peterson’s firm to get out of financial trouble. However, those who don’t care for Birdie’s hip-thrusting moves try to stop the show.

Randy Partin, theatre president, said the lead character is a play off the late country music singer Conway Twitty. The story is also based on Elvis Presley being drafted by the Army in 1958.

A cast of 28 vocalists, actors and dancers will take the stage, Partin said. Dancers are featured from the Lake Charles Dance Academy. Most of the cast ranges from 11 years old to their early 20s.

“This is a very large endeavor, but it’s a lot of fun,” he said.

Partin said the musical follows this season’s theme of highlighting the 1950s.

“It’s just bringing back that light-hearted nostalgic type of music,” he said.

Fifteen cast members have never participated in an LCLT production, with eight of those having no stage experience, Partin said.

“It’s truly been a community theater experience,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a learning curve. You have to be patient. It hasn’t been without its trials, but it’s been very rewarding.”

Partin said projections will be used as backgrounds on the sets, and there will be production tracks for singers. Because of the large cast, he said there wasn’t enough room for a live band.

“There are a lot of elements to this show,” Partin said.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors 65 and up and $10 for students.

To reserve tickets, call the theatre at 433-7988 or visit thelclt.com.