Critics on the Aisle: 'Happy Days' are Here at Goodspeed

"Sunday, Monday, Happy Days...Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days"... The Fonz, Richie, Potsie, Ralph, Pinky, Joanie and Chachi....yes, the whole gang is back! Back, that is, at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, until July 4th in the new hit musical, Happy Days.

For all of those fans of the TV show Happy Days, this frothy fun musical, written by Garry Marshall is as much of a treat as a strawberry ice-cream soda at the local drive-in.

The music and lyrics are by Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe-winner Paul Williams.

The show is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in that groovy year 1959 when things were cool and puppy love, dance contests and going steady were what was happening in the that very square community.

The Fonz, played by Joey Sorge, is just as cool as the original... but this one sings, too! Ayyyyyy! A big thumbs up for this guy. Joey plays the Fonz in a brash, sexy and appealing way, and he sure knows how to fill out those tight white T-shirts!

Sandra DeNise as Pinky, the Fonz's main squeeze, wows the audience with her big Broadway voice in "Message in the Music." Ms. DeNise, true to the character, squeezes herself into the tightest pink pedal pushers and the tiniest top - enough sex appeal to get the attention of any woman who likes women.

Savannah Wise as Joanie and Cynthia Ferrer as Marion Cunningham join Pinky in the best ballad of the show, "What I Dreamed Last Night." All three of these women are attractive, great singers, and don't miss a beat.

The cast, a talented team of newcomers and veteran actors, work together as if they were family... and, when we spoke to them backstage after the performance, they each verified that there is a bond among the cast that makes them feel as though they are truly the Cunningham's extended family.

Although fans of the long-running TV show, created by Garry Marshall, might have preconceived notions of how these characters would be interpreted in a musical comedy, within a few minutes into the show all the familiar personalities come into perspective in a fresh, better-rounded way.

Connecticut-native Lannon Killea is all exuberance and vitality in his role as the love-sick but shy Chachi. His character is better developed than in the source material; this Chachi is much more a part of the older gang: Richie (Rory O'Malley, although we saw David Larsen the night we saw it), Potsie (Billy Harrington Tighe - what a dancer!), and Ralph, a-dorkably performed by Stanley Banorek. Their singing group, The Dial-Tones, is as strong in four-part harmony as the real chart-breakers of the day, The Four Freshmen and The Four Lads.

Veteran Broadway actors Bob Amaral as Arnold and Kevin Carolan as Howard Cunningham had as much fun onstage as their slightly younger co-stars. Both characters display warmth of personality that grabs the audience right away.

Add the talents of Estonian actress Hanna-Liina Vosa (what a great name) as Richie's girl Lori Beth, and Matt Merchant and Matt Walker, stopping the show with their turn as the wrestling Malachi brothers, plus nine ensemble members, and you've got a cast worth cheering for.

Marshall has taken the essence of all the TV episodes and rolled them into one, with a light plot that's perfect for an American musical comedy. It's about the kids and the town rallying to 'Save Arnolds'- the local drive-in restaurant - from the wrecking ball to put up a mall.

Williams has taken the basic feeling of the Happy Days theme song, which he didn't write, and continued the youthful spirit of that musical gem into a full score - including plenty of do-wop. A few contemporary-style songs are peppered into the second act, which somehow don't fit as well as the 50's-style music that the first act offers so effectively.

The show is easy-breezy entertainment with lots of corny jokes (the corn is golden), some nice songs, and an upbeat cast that makes everyone who sees this musical feel the grove of the '50s!

The title song "Happy Days" takes center stage at the finale, and is both expected and uplifting - a fitting and delightful cherry on top of that delicious ice-cream soda. You leave the theater humming the tunes and dancing the dances.

Happy Days are still here and, by popular demand, has been extended through the 4th of July. And while there are some seats left, get tickets now, and for the theater's next show, the London, Broadway and Hollywood hit musical, Half A Sixpence, which opens on July 11th!

For tickets go to www.goodspeed.org or call: (860) 873-8668