Review: 'Happy Days'

About the only good thing I can say about Happy Days, which opened Wednesday night at the Elgin Theatre is that the show's stay here will be mercifully short.

The TV series began in 1974 as an affectionate parody of life in Milwaukee in the 1950's but thanks to the growing popularity of a relatively minor character - Henry Winkler's Fonzie - the show developed into a noisy sit-com that quickly lost its original point of view. But it was popular. Very popular. It spun off other successful shows and has been in constant rotation on rerun channels.

With so much Happy Days out there for free, a stage musical has to offer something that viewers can't get at home. An original story might help, or an enjoyable score that uses songs to flesh out the cartoonish characters. This score by Paul Williams makes no attempt to recreate the musical styles of the late 1950s. Instead it gives is a theme park idea of what Broadway show music sounds like. One dance number late in Act One has a bit of flash, thanks mainly to Michelle Lynch's choreography. The rest is empty, bland and unforgivably dull.

The book is no better, with a story that makes little sense. Considering Gary Marshall created the TV series, you would think he would know how to write these characters and know their histories.   All he has given is us is a 30-minute episode, expanded into a 2 ½ hour musical. It's bland, the jokes are lame and the characters behave in ways that serve the slender story but are in no way true to the personalities that made the TV show such a hit.

Once in a while the script tried to offer a wink in our direction with a reference to one of the episodes. Mostly, however, it capitalizes on the weaknesses of the source material, without adding anything of value.

We're in trouble right off the top when Richie enters and begins to narrate the story. As Urinetown warns us nothing can kill a show faster than too much exposition. It doesn't quite kill but it doesn't give it much of a boost either.

Of the performers only Joey Sarge registers, mainly because he looks so much like a young Henry Winkler. He has the mannerisms and attitude, but the show fails to give him one memorable moment.   As for the rest, you'll see better performances in community theatre productions, which is probably where this show belongs. 

But wait. There was talk of this being a pre-Broadway try-out. There is absolutely no need to take this to Broadway, or anywhere else for that matter. We already have the pre-curser to Happy Days: the 1972 (and 1994, and 2007) show Grease. While it is no masterpiece it has a stronger book, and a better score. In fact next to Grease, Happy Days looks pretty sad indeed.

 

Happy Days is at the Elgin Theatre to February 15. Evening performances begin at 7:30 Tuesdays through Saturdays, with 2 Pm matinees on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets start at $25 and are available online at www.dancaptickets.com or by calling (416) 644-3665.

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