The spirit of hit TV sitcom Happy Days will be living on in the new musical adaptation at Papermill Playhouse in Milburn, NJ, September 26 through October 28.
The Gerry Marshall-Paul Williams musical will be stages by Gordon Greenburg, using members of the cast who are currently playing an almost-sold out run in Chester, CT.
Marshall is the creator of the hit sitcom Happy Days which ran 1974-84 and is the inspiration for the new musical. Williams is a Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter, responsible for ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’, ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’ and other pop hits.
“The show will get larger at Paper Mill — the cast size increases, the band size increases, and, of course, the set increases,” the director said. “We're looking at adding another song and a fun curtain call. We'll be expanding musical numbers and dance sequences — and continuing to refine the book. We're all very much looking forward to the next stage of development at the fantastic Paper Mill Playhouse.”
Paper Mill bills the show as: “Goodbye gray skies, hello blue! Happy days are here again with Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph and the unforgettable king of cool Arthur 'The Fonz' Fonzarelli. …Happy Days: A New Musical reintroduces one of America's best loved families, the Cunninghams, and the days of 1959 Milwaukee complete with varsity sweaters, hula hoops, and jukebox sock-hoppin'.
“The famed drive-in malt shop and number one hang-out, Arnold's, is in danger of demolition, so the gang teams up to save it with a dance contest and TV-worthy wrestling match against former Phister prison members Count Jacques and Jimbo, aka the infamous Malachi Brothers. Even the daredevil diva Pinky Tuscadero returns to help and reunite with her 'legend in leather.’”