By
Mark Shenton
27 Jun 2013
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| Heidi Range |
| Photo by Paul Coltas |
Heidi Range, the longest-serving current member of the British girl group Sugababes and seen last year as a contestant on U.K. TV's "Dancing on Ice," is to star in the U.K. premiere of
Happy Days — the Musical, based on the Paramount Pictures television series of the same name created by
Garry Marshall, who has also written the book for the musical.
Music and lyrics are by Paul Williams.
It will begin performances at Bromley's Churchill Theatre near London Jan. 13, 2014, then tour to Brighton, Hull, Dublin, Southampton, Sheffield, Glasgow, Bristol, Norwich, Southend, Woking, Cambridge, Sunderland, Cardiff, Aberdeen, Dartford, Canterbury, Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes, continuing through June 21.
The production is directed and choreographed by Andrew Wright, Olivier Award nominee for Best Choreographer for
Singin' in the Rain that transferred to the West End's Palace Theatre from Chichester Festival Theatre, and is to embark on a national tour starting Nov. 9 at Manchester's Opera House. His other recent choreographic credits include a Chichester revival of
42nd Street that also played at Leicester's Curve and a national tour of
Wonderful Town.
It is produced by Amy Anzel in association with Todd Ruppert, and presented in partnership with Ed’s Easy Diner, the chain of retro-American diners that has 20 branches around the U.K.
Henry Winkler, who created the role of The Fonz in "Happy Days," is serving as the show's creative consultant. According to press materials, he will be working alongside the director in creating the [Happy Days" world of 1959 America and guiding the cast in creating their familiar characters.
In addition to creating the original TV series, Marshall is also the director of such films as "Pretty Woman," "Beaches" and "The Princess Diaries 1and2."
The musical features 21 original songs by Paul Williams, who also composed the much-loved "Happy Days" theme song from the TV show, as well as the opening theme for "The Love Boat" TV series, and scores for the films "Bugsy Malone" and the Oscar-nominated "Phantom of the Paradise." His songs include the Oscar-winning "Evergreen" for the Barbra Streisand film version of "A Star is Born," "An Old Fashioned Love Song," "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays."
Further casting is still to be announced. For full touring dates and booking details, visit
www.happydaysthemusical.co.uk.
