the curtain twenty years ago on Bye Bye Birdie. Songs Act 1 "Twenty Happy Years" – Rose and Albert "Movin' Out" – Jenny, Gary and Kids "Half of a Couple" – Jenny and Girlfriends "I Like What I Do" – Rose "Bring Back Birdie" – Mtobe and Company "Movin' Out (Reprise)" – Kids "Baby, You Can Count On Me" – Albert "A Man Worth Fightin' For" – Rose and Cowboys "You Can Never Go Back" – Mayor Townsend "Filth" – Filth "Back in Show Biz Again" – Albert Act 2 "Middle Age Blues" – Albert "Inner Peace" – Rose, Reverend Sun and Sunnies "There's A Brand-New Beat in Heaven" – Mtobe and the Tucson Tabernacle Choir "Twenty Happy Years (Reprise)" – Albert "Well, I'm Not" – Rose "When Will Grown-ups Grow Up" – Kids "Middle Age Blues (Reprise)" – Albert "Young" – Albert "Show Girls" – Zepol Sisters and Stage Door Johnnies "Bring Back Birdie (Reprise)" – Conrad and the Birdettes "Twenty Happy Years (Reprise)" – Albert and Rose Productions In 1980, according to Charles Strouse, Bye Bye Birdie was "still the most produced musical in America and a top moneymaker for the company [Tams-Witmark] that licensed the amateur rights[.]" The idea of a sequel originated with Tams-Witmark; the writers agreed, under the plan that it would only be available for amateur licensing. However, when Broadway producers Lee Guber and Shelly Gross read the sequel's script, they decided to produce it for Broadway. During Broadway previews, two songs, "Shape Up" and "Don't Say F-A-T in Front of Conrad", were cut. Bring Back Birdie opened on Broadway on March 5, 1981 at the Martin Beck Theatre and closed on March 7, 1981 after 4 performances and 31 previews. Directed (and with original conception) by Joe Layton, the set design was by David Mitchell, costume design by Fred Voelpel, lighting design by David Hays, choreography by Frank O'Dowd, musical direction by Mark Hummel, and principal orchestrations by Ralph Burns. The cast featured Donald O'Connor (Albert), Chita Rivera (Rose), Maurice Hines (Mtobe), Marcel Forestieri (Birdie), Robin Morse (Jenny), and Maria Karnilova (Mae). Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Response In his review for The New York Times, Frank Rich wrote that the musical was "depressing" and "tired", while praising Chita Rivera: "far more effective" and