US TV sitcom Happy Days, which ran for ten years, depicted small-town life during the 1950s and created a gallery of popular characters. Those characters are brought back to life in this stage musical.
The show has appeal for those with fond memories of the series and for those with nostalgia for times when life was simpler and more innocent. It has an interesting storyline, energetic choreography and music, which may not be memorable but certainly evokes the style of the 1950s.
The action centres on the local diner under threat of closure and the efforts of Richie Cunningham and his friends to try to save it.
They are abetted by a super cool dude and babe magnet – The Fonz – a part that gained cult status and gave fame to its originator, Henry Winkler. Ben Freeman gives a creditable recreation.
Heidi Range provides the love interest, scoring with Legend In Leather and her duet with Freeman, Dancing On The Moon.
Particularly outstanding is Cheryl Baker’s powerful delivery of What I Dreamed Last Night. The number is enhanced when it transcends into a duet with Emma Harrold.
The finale has The Fonz inviting the audience to stand and dance, which they willingly did.
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