When I was purchasing my season tickets for the Dallas Summer
Musicals 2009 lineup, I wasn't very interested in 'Happy Days: A New
Musical', and opted to go with tickets for 'Fiddler On The Roof'
starring Topol, THE Tevye of all Tevyes, instead (which was abrilliant
production, by the way).
However, I had the opportunity to attend
Opening Night of Garry Marshall's and Paul Williams' new musical
through a friend of mine, and I felt that the very family friendly
musical produced by McCoy Rigby Entertainment (www.McCoyRigby.com) was
actually pretty enjoyable.
I've read several reviews of this
particular tour since I saw it's first curtain call here in Dallas and
apart from it's many flaws, I feel that not all of the critics found it
as enjoyable as I did.
The show centers around Arnold's Drive-In, which serves as the most
popular hang out for pretty much everyone in town. When Arnold's is in
danger of demolition, the whole gang teams up to raise enough money to
save it with a dance contest very similar to 'Grease's' "Hand Jive" number, and a tv-worthy wrestling match.
This is the company's last stop on their National tour, and true,
Joey Sorge who plays Fonzie carried most of the show and deserved that
standing ovation for every venue they performed at. Cythia Ferrer brought Mrs. Cunningham to life so well
that you could hardly tell it wasn't Marion Ross, and I have to give
props to Matt Walker who played Jumpy Malachi among a few other
characters. Walker was the one actor that kept my attention all night
with his entertaining facial expressions and his physical comedy. A lot
of the acting was very mediocre -- think community college level
production. But the characterization was dead on for the most part,
aside from a very confusingly boring Potsie. I can't say that I was a
die-hard fan of the TV show, but I knew enough to catch most of the
jokes.
Michele Lynch's choreography wasn't all that exciting; I
kept waiting for a big dance number that would make me tap my toes
along with them, but it never came.
'Happy Days' is one of
those shows that you'll either enjoy it, or be angry that you spent
money for the ticket. What makes this musical so different from a lot
of TV and movie based productions, is that the characters know they're in a musical. The script is written in such a way to let you
know, as the audience, that the actors and characters are well aware of
the fact they're onstage and in an incredibly campy show. It is the
jokes they make about their characters and the show that make this
production work - ie: Richie Cunningham's line, "usually I can solve my problems in half an hour, but this one's a doozy.".
If
you don't understand the campy fun and can't allow yourself to enjoy a
show that requires absolutely no brainpower whatsoever, you aren't
going to like 'Happy Days'. There are no plot twists that require deep
thought, and overall, there were no catchy songs aside from the title
song that everyone already knows. The show is forgettable. But if
you're looking for a good, wholsome, and family friendly musical to
brighten up your weekend, I would definitely recommend 'Happy Days'.
Happy Days: A New Musical runs through this Sunday, June 7th at the Music Hall at Fair Park.
For more information, visit : The Dallas Summer Musicals presents HAPPY DAYS
For more ticket information, Call DSM's Box Office: 214-691-7200
