Brandywine High School’s presentation of the musical, “Bye, Bye Birdie” will be a bittersweet one for a group of four Brandywine seniors.
Josh Boger, Kayli Hatch, Jordan Moore and James Neldon have been performing together in plays and musicals since the seventh grade. This week’s show will likely be the foursome’s final performance together.
“It’s been an amazing experience working with these guys,” said Neldon, who is playing Mr. MacAfee in the musical. “We are so close, and there is an instant chemistry with us because we have worked together so much.
“It is kind of sad, but I am happy we have this one last show together. I know it will be amazing.”
Denise Boger, the musical’s director, said she is going to miss the group next year.
“There is a natural talent within them where things just come natural to them,” she said. “The have great reactions on stage, take to characters really well, and they read well. They’ve all played big parts, and they enjoy working together. They just click.”
Josh Boger will play Conrad Birdie in the reproduction of the popular musical, which first appeared on Broadway in 1960. The story was inspired by Elvis Presley’s draft notice into the Army in the late 1950s.
Birdie is a rock and roll star that is commissioned to play a new song called “One Last Kiss” on “The Ed Sullivan Show” before leaving to the Army.
Birdie is also supposed to give one lucky girl from his fan club a kiss.
Boger said it is difficult to keep a straight face when girls are screaming for you.
“It is really awkward,” he said. “I picture them as zombies trying to eat me so I don’t flip out.”
Moore plays agent/songwriter, Albert Peterson, while Hatch plays Peterson’s secretary/sweetheart, Rosie Alvarez.
Denise Boger said to expect a lot of energy from the cast.
“This is a really fun cast and a really fun musical,” she said.
“We have some great senior leads and great singers.”
Neldon will study communications at Western Michigan University in the fall, while Moore will do vocal studies at Columbia College in East Chicago and Hatch pre-optometry at Indiana Univeristy South Bend. Boger has an audition with Western Michigan in February.

If you go

What: “Bye, Bye Birdie”
Where: Brandywine Elementary School stage
When: 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Satuday
Reserved tickets: $5 adults, $3 students and senior citizens
General seating: $3 for adults, $2 for students and senior citizens