Garry Marshall helmed over 100 episodes of TV sitcoms (from “The Odd Couple” to “Joanie Loves Chachi”) and directed such hit films as “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries.” But Marshall, who died July 19 at the age of 81, was also a man of the theater, as he makes clear in his memoir “My Happy Days in Hollywood.” In 1974, when “Happy Days” was an established hit on ABC, Marshall took a “theater break” from the show to serve as a script doctor on the Broadway revival of the musical “Good News.” In 1978 his own play “Shelves” (later retitled “Everybody Say ‘Cheese'”) was produced in Illinois, starring Marion Ross. “Wrong Turn at Lungfish,” which he co-wrote with Lowell Ganz, became a community theater staple. In the mid-1990s, Marshall founded the 130-seat Falcon Theatre in Burbank, Calif.
It was in Connecticut where Marshall turned “Happy Days” into a stage musical. The show’s director, Gordon Greenberg, has had a long association with Goodspeed Musicals, and convinced Marshall to develop the show there.
Donna Lynn Hilton, who has worked for the Goodspeed for a quarter of a century, was the production stage manager when “Happy Days: A New Musical” had a workshop at the Norma Terris Theatre in 2007, then served as line producer when the show had a full production at the Goodspeed Opera House in 2008. She remembers Garry Marshall as “a beacon of generosity. He was here quite a bit, in and out of rehearsals a lot. He really focused on the performers. And he continued to be generous after the show was done. He stayed connected. It was never just ‘one and done’ with him.” Hilton recalls him saying of one actress, “I want to build a show around her.”
Jorgensen’s Season
Theater and dance events scheduled in the just-announced 2016-17 season at Jorgensen Auditorium (on the UConn Storrs campus) include the Ailey II company Oct. 26, the Capitol Steps comedy troupe Oct. 28, the live version of the “Mythbusters” reality TV show Nov. 4, the dance group Bodytraffic March 8, the Canadian circus sensations Les 7 Doigts de la Main with “Cuisine & Confessions” March 25 and 26, Russian National Ballet’s “Sleeping Beauty” March 30, “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah April 1.
Among the children’s theater shows are “Peter Rabbit Tales” Oct. 9 and “The Little Prince” April 30.
Classical music events include the Warsaw Philharmonic Oct. 22, a Boston Pops Holiday Concert Dec. 3, the Eric Whitacre Singers March 4, and the Dover Quartet playing the Beethoven Quartet Cycle in six installments (Nov. 15 and 17, Feb. 28, March 2, April 25 and 27).
There are also the tribute acts “The Best of Billy Joel” (played by Michael Cavanaugh, the “Piano Man” from Broadway’s “Movin’ Out”) and “One Night of Queen” (featuring Gary Mullen and the Works as Freddie Mercury and co.) March 31.
Plus lots of music concerts, from the Scottish rock bagpiping band Red Hot Chilli Pipers Nov. 10 to the Ukrainian folk-punk ensemble DakhaBrakha Aprll 6. Details at jorgensen.uconn.edu.
Weems Brings “Grace Notes” To Yale
Video and photographic artist Carrie Mae Weems’ first multi-media performance piece, “Grace Notes: Reflections for Now” will open the Yale Repertory Theatre’s 2016-2017 No Boundaries series in September.
Some of Weems’ photographs were in the “Aspects of Portraiture” exhibit at the Wadsworth Atheneum last year, and she was in the museum’s MATRIX series back in 1991.
“Grace Notes” is performed using poetry, projections, music and spoken word elements and “examines themes of social justice, race and identity in the context of our historical moment.” Weems conceived the piece, which had its world premiere at the Spoleta Festival in South Carolina last month, as a response to President Obama singing “Amazing Grace” in honor of the shooting victims at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston last year.
“Grace Notes” has two performances, Sept. 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. in the Yale University Theatre. Details at 203-432-1234, yalerep.org.
Curtain Call Raises the Curtain On 2016-17
Curtain Call, Inc. in Stamford has its 2016-17 set. It opens Sept. 15 through Oct. 2 with a timely production of Gore Vidal’s presidential election drama “The Best Man.” The musical “Ragtime” runs Sept. 23 through Oct. 22, followed by David Mamet’s real estate crime yarn “Glengarry Glen Ross” Oct. 20 through Nov. 6. Then Curtain Call offers two holiday-themed shows: “Scrooge: The Musical” Nov. 18 through Dec. 17 and (for its fifth production at the theater since 2009) “A Merry Mulberry Street.” The comedy “The Delval Divas,” set in a low-security correctional institute for women, plays Jan. 12-29. “The Who’s Tommy” sees, feels, touches and heals Feb. 2-18. The alcoholism drama “The Days of Wine and Roses” drowns its sorrows March 2-19. “The Independents,” about the romance between Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas, runs April 13-23, followed by the world premiere of the new musical “The Man With the Glass Heart” (which Curtain Call presented as a concert reading in a previous season) May 4-14. The season ends June 2-24 with “Sweet Charity” the Cy Coleman/Dorothy Fields/Neil Simon musical based on the Fellini film “Nights of Cabiria.” Curtain Call Inc. runs two performance spaces, the Kweskin Theatre and the Dressing Room Theatre, at 1349 Newfield Ave., Stamford. More info at 203-461-6358, curtaincallinc.com
Pre-Show Announcement Of The Week
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen! We have a really, really big show lined up for you, coming to you live from the historic Goodspeed Opera House in charming East Haddam, Connecticut. Now, before we can bring you that talented young man all the girls are screaming for, we ask you to please hang up those party lines, and adjust your rabbit ears, and most importantly — enjoy the show!”
—Spoken in an Ed Sullivan voice at the outset of “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Goodspeed. Sullivan’s TV variety show looms large in “Birdie”— there’s even a hymn about it.
