Amazing news! NBC has announced that Jennifer Lopez will headline their next musical, “Bye Bye Birdie Live!” in 2017. Jennifer will play Rosie, the role originated by Chita Rivera in the original production. Jennifer has some experience with the musical, as she covers “A Lot of Living To Do” as part of her “All I Have” opening.
“Bye Bye Birdie” is set at the height of rock ‘n’ roll in Sweet Apple, Ohio, where hip-thrusting music heartthrob Conrad Birdie’s rock ‘n’ roll ways send the small town reeling, giving the teens Birdie fever, shocking the parents with moral indignation, and placing songwriter/agent Albert Peterson (played by Dick Van Dyke in the original production) along with his savvy sweetheart, Rosie, right in the thick of things.
In a statement, Jennifer said: “Broadway musicals and films fueled my childhood and ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ was one of my favorites. I’m proud to be a part of the NBC family with ‘Shades of Blue’ and I thought it would be a blast to take on one of their big live musicals.”
Jennifer will also serve as executive producer with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.The latter two have also executive-produced NBC’s other live musicals, the upcoming “Hairspray”, “The Wiz”, “Peter Pan”, and “The Sound of Music”.
