Bigfork Summer Playhouse opens "Happy Days," "Guys & Dolls"

Ritchie, Potsie, Fonzie and the gang rocked the stage at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, June 7 when the Bigfork Summer Playhouse opened its latest production, “Happy Days.”

The show follows a cast of familiar characters made popular by the hit television series as they scramble to save Arnold’s malt shop from demolition.

The kids all pitch in to organize a dance contest and a wrestling match to raise money for the restaurant, belting out a slew of upbeat 50s-style rock numbers along the way.

“The best part is that the show is kind of like an hour-and-a-half episode of ‘Happy Days,” said director Dennis McKeen. “The script has taken storylines from several different episodes and sort of jammed them all into one.”

The music steals the spotlight in this “jukebox musical,” McKeen said.

“We’re so excited to do this show because the music is just fun,” McKeen said. “It’s all of that fun, bouncy, perky kind of 50s rock and roll.”

McKeen likened the show to a cleaner, more family-friendly version of “Grease.”

“If you liked ‘Grease,’ you’ll love this,” he said.

McKeen said he has been impressed with his young cast’s ability to bring such well-known characters to life.

“They’ve had fun trying to represent and re-represent these characters as best they could,” McKeen said. “We tried to keep things as pure as possible.”

To do that, the show’s crew paid careful attention to all of the details, including costumes and props. One of the most notable set items is undoubtedly the jukebox, which looks almost exactly like the one from the TV program.

The 22-member cast joins together onstage for several full-group numbers. About half of the cast members are first-time Bigfork Summer Playhouse company performers.

“The fun part about the cast is that they are so enthusiastic and eager and ready,” McKeen said.

This is McKeen’s second season as a Bigfork Summer Playhouse director. He directed “Sugar Babies” last summer.

“I love Bigfork,” said McKeen, who is originally from Michigan. “I love walking back and forth to work each morning. It’s a two-minute walk that ends up taking me 15 minutes.”

“Guys & Dolls”

Audiences will be transported to the bustling streets of New York with the Bigfork Summer Playhouse’s production of the hit Broadway musical “Guys & Dolls,” which opens June 21 at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts.

The show follows the story of a colorful cast of characters, from gamblers and nightclub performers to Salvation Army members trying to cure the sins of the Big Apple population.

“It is a classic slice of Americana,” said director David Simmons. “One of the best Broadway musicals ever written.”

Simmons, who is from Missoula, first became involved with the Bigfork Summer Playhouse as an actor back in the late 1970s. He directed shows in Bigfork throughout the 1980s.

After more than 20 years away from the Bigfork theatre scene, Simmons said he is excited to be back.

“There are not superlatives enough to describe what it’s like to be back here again,” he said.

He credits the show’s cast and crew for his upbeat attitude.

“These kids have restored my faith in show business,” he said. “They know their stuff.”

Simmons said one of the best parts about Bigfork Summer Playhouse shows is that most actors in the company play a variety of characters over the course of the season, from lead roles to “third girl from the right.”

“We have amazing talent at every level,” he said.

The show will include plenty of large group song and dance numbers. Simmons heaped praise on the play’s choreographer, Taavon Gamble, and music director, David Cody, for all of the work they have done to ensure that all of the performance elements complement one another.

“Everything just melds together perfectly because we’ve been communicating,” Simmons said.

The song lineup features many familiar favorites, including “Luck Be a Lady,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “If I Were a Bell,” and “A Bushel and a Peck.”

“It’s one of those shows that just plays like a best of Broadway compilation,” Simmons said.

For more information on either play or to order tickets, visit www.bigforksummerplayhouse.com or call the box office at 837-4886.