Goodspeed Musicals Announces 45th Season At The Historic Goodspeed Opera House

EAST HADDAM — Goodspeed Musicals, under the leadership of Michael P. Price who will be celebrating his 40th year as Executive Director, has decided on the shows that will make up the 2008 musical season at Goodspeed Opera House. The 45th season will include Happy Days, running April 11 until June 29; the second production, Half a Sixpence, will run July 11 to September 19; and completing the season with a dose of pure Americana, Big River, the musical tale based on Mark Twain’s classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, will run September 26 to November 30.

A nostalgic trip back to the fun lovin’ 50’s, Happy Days is based on the Paramount Pictures’ hit television series of the same name created by Garry Marshall. The musical features music and lyrics by Paul Williams and book by Garry Marshall.

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days… Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days… the whole gang — Richie, Fonzie, Ralph, Potsie and all your favorites from the smash-hit TV series — are back, and rockin’ and rollin’ all week long. The show is a celebration of poodle skirts, jukeboxes, motorcycles and malt shops.

Happy Days was produced by Goodspeed Musicals as a developmental production in August  2007 at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, followed by a production at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in the fall of 2007. After a successful run last year, Goodspeed audiences will be treated to a full scale production featuring an expanded orchestra and bigger, broader dance numbers.

Gordon Greenberg returns to Goodspeed where he directed last season’s production of Happy Days.

Half a Sixpence, the summer production, is a bouncy, romantic musical. Audiences follow the antics of young Arthur Kipps, a Cockney shop clerk who inherits a fortune, flirts with “society,” loses his money, and winds up happier without it. Chock full of lively dancing and memorable tunes like “Party’s on the House,” “If the Rain’s Got to Fall,” “Flash Bang Wallop” and more, the show is perfect for the entire family.

Half a Sixpence, known for its show-stopping production numbers, features music and lyrics by David Heneker and book by Beverly Cross. The musical is based on the novel Kipps by H.G. Wells.

Goodspeed’s production will be directed by Gordon Greenberg of Goodspeed’s Pirates of Penzance and last year’s hit production of Happy Days at the Norma Terris Theatre. The choreographer will be announced at a later date.

Come along for the adventure of a lifetime with Goodspeed’s 2008 season finale Big River. Join Huck Finn and runaway slave Jim on a musical trip down the Mississippi River in Mark Twain’s classic tale. Along the way you’ll meet a rascally pair of river grifters, a grieving heiress and, of course, Tom Sawyer. A slice of pure Americana — adventurous, humorous, perilous and mythic — the show will leave audiences will humming such memorable tunes as “Waitin’ for the Light to Shine,” “Muddy Water,” “Worlds Apart,” “River in the Rain” and “Free At Last.”

Big River was first performed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater on Broadway on April 25, 1985, and ran for an impressive 1,005 performances over the next 2½ years. It is the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book.

The show has music and lyrics by Roger Miller, book by William Hauptman and is adapted from a novel by Mark Twain. The Goodspeed production will be directed by Rob Ruggiero, who directed last season’s audience favorite 1776, has directed numerous productions during his tenure as Associate Artistic Director of Hartford’s TheaterWorks, and recently brought his William Finn revue Make Me A Song to New World Stages in New York City.

Curtain times are Wednesday at 2 and 7:30 pm, Thursday at 7:30 pm (with select performances at 2 as well), Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 3 and 8 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm (again with select performances at 6:30 pm).

Advance season subscriptions are on sale through the box office (860-873-8668), open seven days a week, or online at Goodspeed.org. Subscription prices range from $78 to $204 at the Goodspeed Opera House for one person, all three shows.  Single tickets will go on public sale beginning February 24.