Twenty years ago she was in the Stars Over Veishea production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” When SOV 1997 hits campus this weekend, Marge Bennett Folger will be sitting in the director’s chair for the same musical comedy that she enjoyed as an Iowa State student.

The show will appear at C.Y. Stephens on Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Folger, the director of the musical, is an assistant professor of theater at Iowa State

The story line is a familiar one and has all the elements of a good musical: trouble, romance and plenty of song and dance.

It revolves around a rock ‘n’ roll star named Conrad Birdie, a character similar to Elvis Presley, who has been drafted into the army, Folger said.

Before Birdie is sent off to serve his country, his manager Albert, played by Beany Bode, a junior in biology, wants to see him off with a big publicity stunt in hopes of raising enough cash to get out of the music business forever.

Albert’s secretary Rosie, Kim Hale, a sophomore in journalism and mass communication, devises a plan with hopes of her own. She wants Albert to say goodbye to managing and say I do to her at the alter.

Rosie randomly chooses one girl out of the plethora of Birdie’s over-enthusiastic fan club members for him to serenade with the hit song to be “One Last Kiss.” This lucky girl will also get to share one last smooch with Birdie before he heads out to face his military duties.

“The rest of the story is the mess that develops,” Folger said. “It’s very funny and filled with cliches and stereotypes. Everybody can sort of relate to it. We all have seen the stardom of rock ‘n’ roll stars and the stunts they pull for publicity.

“There is no hidden agenda in ‘Bye Bye Birdie’. It’s meant to entertain. It sends you out with a smile,” she said.

The part of Conrad Birdie will be played by Ryan Burchett, a senior in journalism and mass communication.

His character is “more concerned with going out and having a good time and drinking beer than advancing his career,” he said.

The flamboyant singer is a stereotypical role that requires a lot of “goof ball” antics to play the part very well, Burchett said.

“Once you get up on stage, it’s easy. While Albert has to show emotion, I just have to be a cocky jerk. You can’t be afraid to be a dork on stage.”

The musical is breaking new ground this spring, as it is the first time Stars Over Veishea has joined forces with the ISU Theater Department. Folger said she thinks it is working out for the best.

“I can understand the student tradition. I am an alum of SOV. Twenty years ago “Bye Bye Birdie” was the first production I ever did at the collegiate level. Stars Over Veishea has an important place in my life,” she said.

The annual production was in need of assistance from professionals and that is what she considers this cast and crew to be made up of. While not every member of the 46 member cast is a seasoned veteran of the stage, the less experienced actors and actresses are learning quickly, Folger said.

“We have talent from across the board. We have people who haven’t done anything and people who have been in three or four productions. But we’re a well blended group. We’re not noticing the newcomers from the others.”

Rehearsal for the musical has been going on since February, and the group is anxious to finally show somebody the fruits of its efforts, Folger said.

“It takes a lot to pull off something this big, but the community deserves to see a big old-fashioned musical. We need people to come. This will be one that if people miss it they will say, ‘Shoot, I heard really good things about that show’,” she said.

Tickets for the show can be bought through Ticket master or at the door at the time of performance and will run at $5.50, $9.50 and $12.50.