"RIVETING! EXQUISITE! TIMELESS!  Studded with splashy production numbers that spill off the stage…Jenn Thompson's THOUGHTFULLY THROBBING staging of this American classic is not just a fun story about the hijinks that ensue when a randy rock star invades a small Midwestern town. It's a generational argument about whether one should settle down or rock out...This is a balanced BIRDIE that takes time to stop and smell the apple blossoms, making its “bye bye” much sweeter."

- The Hartford Courant

 

"BRILLIANT!  A GREAT EVENING OF THEATRE! Nostalgic, yet amazingly fresh...This production is VIBRANT, ENERGETIC, FRESH, and really funny. I highly recommend checking out this AMAZING production...and I am honestly sincere when I say you will definitely leave the theater with a happy face."

- Broadway World

 

"TIMELESS...A LITTLE MUSICAL MAGIC! Jenn Thompson’s direction is in perfect sync with what Goodspeed does best: Take (or help develop) a musical classic of the American theater and employ enough pros to squeeze fresh wonder out of it!"

- The New Haven Register

 

"ELECTRIFYING...PURE PLEASURE...Goodspeed’s show is directed with a sure hand and a nice sense of time and place by Jenn Thompson. She infuses “Birdie,” too, with a fabulous sense of joy."

-The New London Day

 

"SNAZZY look backward in time...The entire Goodspeed presentation is BEAUTIFULLY EVOCATIVE 

...Reimagined by Jenn Thompson...it is light yet DAZZLING...winsome entertainment...TOPNOTCH!"

- Talkin' Broadway

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"MARVELOUS! DAZZLING! THE SHOW IS BETTER THAN EVER! They’ve even improved certain key moments...this VIBRANT new look at the show revitalizes it, and I certainly hope others are fortunate enough to have a gander for themselves...give yourself a treat and see for yourself."

- DC Theater Scene

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"FLAWLESS...PERFECTION! I can’t begin to pile on the kudos to the extent the show deserves! 

GO SEE BYE BYE BIRDIE!"

- Theatre Circuit WMNR Fine Arts Radio

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"IT ALL WORKS! The Goodspeed revival, under the able hands of director Jenn Thompson, is SLICK FUN, and SATISFYING MUSICAL COMEDY - WITH A HEART!"

- The Westfield News

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"PUT ON A HAPPY FACE INDEED! Goodspeed's summer tenant “Bye Bye Birdie” proudly doles out show-stopping and scenery-chewing moments to its able cast in a LIVELY and FUN production!"

- The Middletown Press

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"EXUBERANT! TERRIFIC! Lots of innocent fun...such a good and goofy experience. BLOWS THE ROOF OFF OF THE GOODSPEED!"

- The Post Chronicle

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"SUPERB...DELIGHTFUL! With fast-paced direction by Jenn Thompson and exuberant choreography by Patricia Wilcox, 'Bye Bye Birdie' opens like exploding fireworks on the Fourth of July!"

- Critics on the Aisle

 

"A GREAT TIME! One of the best times I've ever had at a show! The music was pumping, the acting was hilarious and the energy was addictive!"

- Shoreline Reviews

 

"Under the DYNAMIC DIRECTION of Jenn Thompson, enlivened by Patricia Wilcox’s crisp choreography and David Krane’s dance arrangements, this ageless musical has taken on NEW VITALITY and EXUBERANCE, appealing to theater-goers of all ages...the cast is filled with great voices and fantastic dancers, and THE ENTIRE SHOW IS DELIGHTFUL. WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?"

- In The Spotlight

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"SUPERB...FABULOUS! There’s no doubt about Jenn Thomson’s sure-handed directing. She keeps the joint jumpin’ throughout the two-hour running time, as she weds nostalgia with just the right smidgen of wicked irony."

- Shoreline Times

 

"EXTRAORDINARILY TERRIFIC! Goodspeed spins yet another MIRACLE, a high-spirited romp with direction by Jenn Thompson (who keenly respects the original material but has a lot of fun with it)...Everyone on stage is SO AMAZINGLY GOOD that it's impossible to single anyone out!"

- South Shore Critic

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"INSPIRED...IMPECCABLE...FUN! The choices made by director Jenn Thompson, in her Goodspeed debut, were smart ones and included some fun (there’s that word again) hijinks."

- Onstage

 

"The right balance of preciousness and awareness..."Bye Bye Birdie" works like A MUCH NEEDED ESCAPE from the darkness of our times...one can’t help but put on a happy face, A REFRESHING GIFT really, that makes this Birdie much more than welcome."

- Stage Buddy

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"A FUN, BREEZY trip down memory lane that puts a happy face on a lot of audience members. Director Jenn Thompson has given the stage production a few new twists...the result is not your mother’s Birdie!"

- Journal Inquirer

 

"HILARIOUS...ARTFULLY STAGED..a delightful exercise in nostalgia...a light-hearted romp. Under the capable direction of Jenn Thompson, aided by choreographer Patricia Wilcox, this version of Birdie sails along with nary a hitch, with efficient scene changes and a cast that, true to Goodspeed’s heritage, leaves it all up there on the stage."

- CT Theater News and Reviews

 

"DELECTABLE...TRULY SUPERB...the BRILLIANT STAGING of Jenn Thompson who, in my experience, can do no wrong in directing a stagework. I'VE ACTUALLY LONGED TO SEE A PERFECT PRODUCTION OF THIS SHOW SINCE THE ORIGINAL CLOSED. NOW I HAVE. NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!"

- Berkshire Bright Focus

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"DAZZLING...TERRIFIC...All the elements interface beautifully in this POLISHED production. 

Boy, is this FRESH NEW REVIVAL, directed by Jenn Thompson with attention to every detail, surprisingly good in every way."

- Guilford Courier

 

"FUN and totally ENJOYABLE...Goodspeed's production is SUPERB! EXCELLENT DIRECTION by Jenn Thompson...She exhibits a sure hand here; she understands the material and allows it to be done seriously though with an occasional wink."

- Two on the Aisle

 

"ROLLICKING...ENTERTAINING....EXUBERANT! The PERFECT diversion for a mid-summer’s eve (or matinee). Jenn Thompson’s sure-handed direction keeps the musical’s pacing in high gear.   She effortlessly transitions the show’s scenes between comic hijinks to relationship tumults to bratty teenage disobedience.  She also cleverly incorporates the title song, originally written for the film version of the musical, into the production."

- Stuart Brown, CT. Critics Circle

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"VIBRANT, BUOYANT, ENERGETIC, and ALTOGETHER CAPTIVATING! This wonderfully directed, creatively staged, fabulously acted, sung, and choreographed, beloved musical will have you laughing until tears are streaming down your face...THOMPSON PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS WITH HER UNPARALLELED DIRECTING CHOPS." 

- Stephanie C. Lyons Keeley, CT. Critics Circle

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"ABSOLUTELY SHINES! DYNAMITE! Director Jenn Thompson is pretty terrific in eliciting all the fine performances from her cast and she keeps the show moving at a good clip."

- Zander Opper CT. Critics Circle

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"In a word, ELECTRIFYING! PHENOMENAL! The direction by Jenn Thompson was STUNNINGLY SUPERB. If there is only one version of "Bye Bye Birdie" that you can see, Jenn Thompson’s and Goodspeed Musicals’ version is the one!"

- Wayne Keeley, CT. Critics Circle

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"IMPECCABLE...STARTINGLY ORIGINAL. Under Jenn Thompson’s bouncy direction, action spills over into the theater’s aisles, as if the stage can’t contain all the exuberance."

- David Rosenberg, CT. Critics Circle

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"FANTASTIC! Grand songs keep popping up, keeping the action merry and dizzying at the same time...You can’t help but smile and cheer them all along thanks to the INSPIRED DIRECTION of Jenn Thompson and her WONDERFUL team."

- Bonnie Goldberg, CT. Critics Circle

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"CHARMING...LIGHTHEARTED FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT! I admit that this was never one of my fondest musicals. However, Goodspeed’s production has been re-staged, two songs from the film have been added, and with new choreography and a BRILLIANT cast, enthusiastic audiences are packing the theatre."

- Marlene S. Gaylinn, CT. Critics Circle

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“ABSOLUTELY INSPIRED PRODUCTION! Bye Bye Birdie” as presented by Goodspeed is one of those rare musicals – that right after the current performance you want to get right back in line for the next one while you’re still humming away- yep it’s that kind of show – IT'S A BLAST!

- Howard Steven Frydman, CT. Critics Circle