HOLLYWOOD -- TV has yet to make it to Broadway or even the regional stage, but Garry Marshall has four years invested in making "Happy Days" the show that breaks the barrier.
"Happy Days," a tuner based on his wildly successful 1950s-set sitcom, has an official opening of Feb. 25 at Marshall's 130-seat Falcon Theater in Burbank, Calif. At the end of its three-week run, the director will bring in promoters and bookers to determine the next step; he and his producing family members hope it's a national tour.
Rather than have the pros in for opening weekend, Marshall, who writes and directs, and composer-lyricist Paul Williams will be tweaking the musical right through closing night.
"We love the idea of opening in Milwaukee," says producer Kathleen Marshall, aka Garry's daughter, referring, of course, to the locale of the TV series that ran on ABC from 1974 to 1984. She's bullish on the show's appeal, crediting decades of reruns and sustained popularity through cabler TV Land: "It's clean fun and makes for a perfect family musical."
Designed, says producer Ronny Harlin, so "it could all go in a truck," "Happy Days" boasts a 17-member cast led by former New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre, a six-piece band and a diner set (like Al's in the TV show) dominated by a one-story-high AM radio.
Harlin, Garry Marshall's sister who has come out of retirement to work on the tuner, notes, "The whole world is looking for the next five-person musical. I can't imagine passing on something that has been such an important part of our lives."
"Happy Days" gave the world Fonzie, Richie Cunningham and Ralph Malph; the phrases "Sit on it, Potsie" and "Aaaaayyyyy." As a demarcation point for shows that have made themselves irrelevant, it also yielded the phrase "jump the shark."
Film has obviously had a heavy impact in legit, with countless bigscreen-to-stage translations, while television has barely made a dent beyond the occasional regional effort or workshops. Marshall started work on "Happy Days" at a time when he was also pondering how "Pretty Woman" might work onstage, too.
Williams began the project with Carole King, who dropped out after they had done five songs, all of which are no longer in the show. (The two continued their partnership in 2004 by writing "Stand Back" for the film "Raising Helen.")
"We didn't want to write 'Grease 3,' so we said no pop songs," says Williams, who led an acting, songwriting and performing career through the 1970s and '80s, until he decided to quit everything and conquer his alcoholism in 1989. "There are ('50s) flavorings, and at one point, they dive into real do-wop, but (the songs) are about characters.
"What fascinates me is how a character can sing things they would never say. It's an interesting time, 1959, and we get to hint at the 1960s in the show, showing bits and pieces of changing attitudes. Look at Marion. Maybe she wants more than just a clean kitchen. It's a great opportunity to plumb the depths of a character. For Fonzie, (the songs) are his inner voice talking to him."
Williams is associated with two of film's best-known songs, "Rainbow Connection" from "The Muppet Movie" and "Evergreen" for "A Star Is Born"; the first rock musical on film, "Phantom of the Paradise"; and hits such as "Close to You" and "Rainy Days and Mondays" for the Carpenters. "Happy Days," however, is his first venture into the legit arena.
"There are 28 places with music," Williams notes. "It's got the TV theme song in there, of course, but we make the audience wait. We hope to use the 'Mamma Mia!' model and take it around the country."
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