‘Happy’ jumps the shark
If “Happy Days,” the long-running Garry Marshall sitcom, viewed the ‘50s through rose-colored glasses, “Happy Days: Aaay! It’s a Musical!” looks at the TV show through pastel-pink goggles.
Written and directed by Marshall and bursting with new songs by Paul Williams, the production, which opened Friday at theMarshall-family-owned Falcon Theatre in Burbank, begins with a slide-show stroll down Memory Lane. Hey, there’s Jefferson High, alma mater of Richie, Potsie and Ralph Malph. Look, that’s Arnold’s burger joint gussied up for a sock hop. And wasn’t the old Cunningham residence impressive? Mr. C. probably bought it for less than $20,000, and today it could easily get three-quarters of a million -- even in Milwaukee. Gee, those must have been happy days.
Sorry to be a party pooper, but this photo-album prelude turns out to be the show’s high point. The problem rests largely with Marshall’s book, which stretches the sappiness of a reunion special to the marathon length of five episodes, enough to make anyone long for the reprieve of commercial breaks.
Fortunately, opening night provided the distraction of watching Marion Ross, Erin Moran and Tom Bosley smile from the audience at their characters onstage -- a sign that the original cast members are still upholding the show’s old-fashioned values of politeness and forbearance.
The plot, such as it is, revolves around the Fonz (played by New Kids on the Block alumnus Joey McIntyre), the supposed tough guy with the heart of gold. Something’s got the old boy down. Sure, he can still turn on a jukebox with a knock of his wrist, but he’s starting to feel like maybe it’s time for him to move on. Richie (Rory O’Malley) and his pals are graduating from high school, Joanie (an appealingly energetic Christine Lakin) and Chachi (Joseph Leo Bwarie) are growing friskier by the minute, and Fonzie’s still living by his lonesome over the Cunninghams’ garage. Maybe it’s time to finally get serious with Pinky Tuscadero (Audra Blaser) and stop pretending to be Peter Pan in a leather jacket.
He’s going to need a lot of patience, however, if he’s ever to free himself from the other story lines Marshall has entangled him in, including the highly suspenseful question of whether he’s going to tag-team with Pinky against the evil Malachi brothers in a charity wrestling match that could result in Richie’s dad getting a much coveted plaque. Don’t worry -- no spoilers here.
In the ‘70s, Fonzie became an instant icon, but he has apparently been deified over the intervening decades in a way that may have made even the Henry Winkler of the series’ final, gooey stretch uncomfortable. Every other line out of his mouth reaffirms his upstanding character and unerring wisdom. He’s about as cool now as Mrs. C. Any minute you expect him to chide Richie for going out without his scarf.
McIntyre, a consummate boy-band heartthrob, has the looks and voice to mesmerize an entire all-girls junior high. No point in blaming him for schmaltz so thick that only a few bursts of Randy Skinner’s explosive choreography can blast through.
But then even the best dance numbers, like the tap duet between Marion (a redeemingly good Cynthia Ferrer) and Lori Beth (Anna A. White) seem dramatically extraneous. (Why should we suddenly care if Richie’s mother and fiancee get along?) The same is true for Williams’ hackneyed music. When a not-bad song finally emerges from the shamelessly sentimental hit parade, such as Marion and Joanie’s “What I Dreamed Last Night,” you can’t help but feel that you’ve taken a detour that is only going to prolong the seemingly endless journey.
It’s hard to figure out whom “Happy Days” is pitched to. Only kids addicted to cable reruns would get all the jokey references to the series -- and even then it would be hard to keep them in their seats for 2 1/2 hours. Adult fans would have to be pretty hard-core not to find it tedious after the first flush of nostalgia has worn off.
Yes, the assembly of talent is impressive, to say nothing of expensive. Yet the resources are so misemployed and the material so miscalculated that the show seems like the ultimate vanity project. This is a musical that only a Marshall could love.
But, oh, what a relief it is when the series’ catchy theme song comes on at the end. We’re warned that the big finale is coming by Paul C. Vogt, who plays one of the Malachis and frequently breaks character to superfluously riff on such things as the mysterious nature of tapioca. With the finishing line at long last in sight, these happy days were almost mine.
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‘Happy Days’
Where: Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank
When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays
Ends: March 12
Price: $25 to $37.50
Contact: (818) 955-8101
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
