For fans of the old "Happy Days" TV series, which began a decade-long run in 1974, Happy Days, A New Musical should bring back plenty of memories.
After opening at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse in October 2007, the show launched a national tour that began in California. Now the show has "come home" to Milwaukee, the setting of the original TV show. For Milwaukeeans, there's a familiar look to this musical. The primary setting is Arnold's, the TV show's well-known (if fictional) teen hangout. Arnold's is decorated with oversized pennants to well-known area sports teams (including the Green Bay Packers, the former Milwaukee Braves, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison). The show's opening number, "Welcome to Wisconsin," doesn't really tell much about the state. Perhaps more tangible proof of the musical's locale is the prize for a dance contest an enormous half-wheel of Wisconsin cheddar cheese. Otherwise, the outfits and backdrops are generic 1950s styles bobby soxers wearing poodle skirts, boys in plaid shirts or argyle vests, rows of silhouetted houses, etc.
Unlike the TV show, the musical's primary focus is Fonzie, the king of cool. It seems as though nothing can get done around town without Fonzie's rare physical gifts, whether it's turning on light switches with a snap of his fingers or drawing hordes of females with a wave of his hand.
The show's strength rests its stellar cast. Most of the actors have been with the show since its Paper Mill Playhouse debut. The standout, obviously, is Joey Sorge as The Fonz. He has mastered Fonzie's moves to perfection and manages to easily transmit some of Fonzie's more subtle cues in a larger, stage setting. He balances the good/bad aspects of Fonzie's character with superb precision, allowing the audience to believe that this leather jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding hunk is the town hero.
Far less attention is paid to Richie Cunningham (Steven Booth). Although Booth is certainly capable of carrying more of the show's plot than he does here, he is relinquished to a minor role. So is his dad, Howard (played in top-notch form by John Massey). Richie receives even less attention than Richie's mother, Marion (Cynthia Ferrer), his little sister, Joanie (Whitney Bashor), or Fonzie's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Pinky Tuscadero (wonderfully played by Felicia Finley). Finley is an old Broadway hand (The Life, The Wedding Singer, Aida, etc.), and her polish is evident throughout. She can verbally go mano-a-mano with the wisecracking Fonzie, and then, moments later, melt into his arms.
This romance may not make a heck of a lot of sense, but little in this show does. For instance, why do conservative parents like the Cunninghams allow their son, Richie, to wrestle a pair of hoodlums (just released from prison, no less)? This happens when Fonzie, the original opponent in a fund-raising wrestling match, seems to take a powder. The valiant Richie is, of course, saved just in time by the Fonz. Sarcastically speaking, who could have seen that coming?
Happy Days never pokes fun at itself, except in a rare moment when the exasperated Richie says, "Gee, I can usually come up with a solution to most problems in 30 minutes." That bit of dialogue earns the chuckle it deserves.
Overall, the musical is a G-rated Grease without half the fun. The plot of Happy Days is severely strained at times. Its music, while spirited, doesn't yield any memorable gems. It's the power of this seasoned cast that energizes audiences.
