Theatre Review: Happy Days

Last night I attended Happy Days: A New Musical and believe it or not was happily surprised. Although I shouldn’t be too surprised, this peppy and fun musical is based on the popular television show and written by comedy veteran Garry Marshall and pop songwriter Paul Williams. Happy Days is presented at Clowes Hall as part of the Broadway Series.

Impressive performances all around, this show features great music and dance that transports the audience to the late 1950’s Midwest. The storyline was fun presenting a reminiscent plot to the original TV show and presenting many references to the original. I would say that I enjoyed the first Act much more than the second. The plot also centered around the Fonz more than Richie (although Richie did act as a narrator) so the stage show was a bit more like the last season of the show.

This seems to be the point of every review that I write were I comment on the audience and their behavior. Two gentleman in particular. The first was a man that seemed overly miffed at the fact that there were a lot of cars in the parking lot thirty minutes before the curtain. He proceeded to complain to the ticket taker just inside the side entry door…not caring (or oblivious to) the line of people stacked up behind him and out the door. It was cold. To address his concern: you came to see a show at Clowes Hall with other people in the audience, those people will probably drive to the theatre and parking in an area designated for them, hence the cars outside in the parking lot. Why complain repeatedly to woman taking tickets? I doubt that traffic control is her area of expertise. Solution: Stay at home if you are just going to complain every time you go outside. The second gentleman needs a lecture based on his actions. He decided to remove his shoes during the production. Okay, maybe his feet hurt, I’ll give you that. It is not really accepted etiquette, but who cares? Right? Next time bring your Snuggie.. The main problem that I had with you was that you decided to wait until after the curtain call to attempt to replace your shoes, and in doing so you proceeded to block everyone in your row from exiting. The audience of this production (and the other shows I saw this season) have inspired me to start a “Theatre Audience 101” Series. Please search the forums weekly for various tips and advice.

Final analysis: This is a good show, good writing and good performances. Happy Days performs at Clowes Hall through January 18th. Ticket prices range from $22-$63. For tickets call 632-5182 or visit Ticket Master at www.ticketmaster.com.