Former Lakeridge mom Cay Bourduin rocks the school play with her amazing costumes created specially for the Lakeridge High School production of “Bye Bye Birdie!” Bourduin is in charge of the beautiful costumes for this show, going for an “iconic 1950s” look. “My job is to put costumes on all the actors in the production,” Bourduin said.

“The overall concept for the musical, at least as far as costumes are concerned is bright, pastel colors,” Andrew Ballnik, director and producer, said. “You’ll notice that most of the cast is wearing 1950s attire but in bright colors. We wanted to keep the show vibrant in color.”

“We borrow, we own some, we make some, we alter almost all, and we purchase them,” Bourduin said about the costumes. “Bye Bye Birdie” is a musical production set in 1958, which explains the costuming style Bourduin and Ballnik are going for. They are working toward finishing the costumes in time for opening night on Thursday, Nov. 6.

“The men will wear suits and ties. As teens they will wear plaid shirts, jeans and tennis shoes,” she said. “There’ll also be poodle skirts, sweaters and peter pan collars.” Bourduin explained that in the production, they have made a dress for the main character’s girlfriend, to be used in the famous musical number “Spanish Rose.”

“I sewed Halloween costumes for my kids for years, then helped with costumes for Lakeridge Drama starting in 2010 and did some work for The Acting Club before that,” Bourduin said. She has been sewing since she was a child and said she loves what she does. “I’ve been doing this for about 4 years now. This is my second year of being in charge and I think it’s a blast!”

Bourduin said that the theater crew happens to have twice as many girls than boys in the production, so all of the boys who are in the chorus have two characters: grown men and teenage boys. The men will wear suits and ties, and the teens will wear the classic fifties blue jeans with sweatshirts and lace-up tennis shoes.

The production is supposed to portray the lives of “iconic 1950s teenagers and their response to the celebrities of their day,” Bourduin said. Conrad Birdie is the main character of the musical, and Bourduin said, “That’s where the name of the play came from.”

“The NYC scenes are in black and white which reflect rigidity and dullness of the humdrum life,” Ballnik said. “The vibrant colors in Sweet Apple reflect the warmth and energy that can be appealing in a small town.”

“It’s not identical to the movie at all!” Bourduin said about the play. Some people may think that this production is based off the 1963 movie “Bye Bye Birdie,” but there are multiple differences. The play is set in 1958, while the movie was made in 1963. She said, “There are some different songs and tiny differences in plot, settings, and minor characters.”

Cay Bourduin’s goal for this Lakeridge production is to put costumes on all of the actors in a classic 1950s style. She is working toward this goal by making dresses, putting together outfits for the characters, and working with her acquired skills from when she was just a child. Lakeridge students are excited to see these Pacers rock the production with Bourduin’s costumes!