James Van Der Beek, Carly Hughes, Mallory Bechtel, Harvey Fierstein, & More Will Lead BYE BYE BIRDIE at the Kennedy Center

People Magazine reports casting for the Kennedy Center production of Bye Bye Birdie!

James Van Der Beek will lead the company as Albert Peterson alongside Carly Hughes at Rose. Harvey Fierstein will play Albert's overbearing mother Mae.

Mallory Bechtel will take in the role of Kim, and is joined by Ann Harada as her mother and Reg Rogers in the role of Harry MacAfee, made famous on stage and screen originally by Paul Lynde.

Tony nominee Caitlin Kinnunen will play Kim's best friend, Ursula.

The title role, Conrad Birdie, will be announced at a later date.

The company will feature Susie Carroll, Micah Cook, David Aron Damane, Julian De Guzman, John Treacy Egan, Michael Hoey, Evan Kinnane, Liz McCartney, Nova Y. Payton, Trevor Michael Schmidt, Megan Sikora, Riza Takahashi, and Dori Waymer.

Bye Bye Birdie includes choreography by Tony Award® nominee Denis Jones (Tootsie, Broadway Center Stage: How to Succeed...), musical direction by Todd Ellison (An American in Paris, Broadway Center Stage: How to Succeed...), scenic and projection design by Paul Tate dePoo III (Broadway Center Stage: The Music Man, Tommy, Next to Normal), lighting design by Cory Pattak (Broadway Center Stage: In the Heights, Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man, Tommy, Next to Normal), and costume design by Amy Clark (Chaplin, Broadway Center Stage: How to Succeed..., The Music Man).

Don't miss this exuberant 1960s rock n' roll smash hit! In this four-time Tony Award®-winning musical, hip-swingin' teen idol Conrad Birdie is drafted into the army, but before he leaves, he'll perform a new song on The Ed Sullivan Show and give one last kiss to a lucky fan. Featuring a hilarious script and a score with more pop than a pack of bubble gum, audiences can't help but fall in love with Bye Bye Birdie.

For tickets and more visit https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/theater/2019-2020/bcs-bye-bye-birdie/.