The story concerns the kids' plans to save Arnold's from demolition by hosting a dance contest and wrestling match.

It is 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Richie Cunningham and his best friends Potsie Weber and Ralph Malph are about to graduate high school and go off to college.

Chachi then informs everyone that Fonzie's former flame, Pinky Tuscadero, is coming to Milwaukee to host the dance contest.

Back at Arnold's, the Dial Tones welcome Pinky Tuscadero and she makes her grand entrance ("The Pink's in Town").

At Arnold's, Pinky tells everyone of Fonzie's nomadic nature and that he may never return, which makes Joanie wonder if Chachi could do the same.

Back at Arnold's, the Malachi brothers discover that they will not be wrestling Fonzie so they humiliate Richie and Ralph by giving them wedgies just in time for pictures for the local paper.

[2] After being "expanded and refined" the musical then ran from April 11, 2008 to July 4, 2008 at the Goodspeed Opera House,[3] directed by Gordon Greenberg and choreographed by Michele Lynch.

[2] It also played at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey from September 26, 2007 to October 28, 2007, directed by Gordon Greenberg, and choreographed by Michele Lynch.

[4][5] The musical bypassed Broadway and went directly into a First National Tour, starring Joey Sorge (Saturday Night) as The Fonz, Felicia Finley as Pinky Tuscadero (The Wedding Singer), Steven Booth as Richie Cunningham, and Cynthia Ferrer as Marion Cunningham.

In 2011, Happy Days was produced by Compagnia della Rancia the Italian version, directed by Saverio Marconi starring Riccardo Simone Berdini as The Fonz (Grease, Les Miserables, Pinocchio), Floriana Monici as Pinky Tuscadero (Grease), Luca Giacomelli as Richie Cunningham (Cats), Jacopo Pelliccia as Alfred Delvecchio (Peter Pan) and Sabrina Marciano as Marion Cunningham (Vacanze Romane).

[7] The cast for the touring production include Ben Freeman as The Fonz,[8] Heidi Range as Pinky Tuscadero[9] and Cheryl Baker as Mrs Cunningham.

[10] The New York Times reviewer wrote of the Goodspeed Opera production of 2008: "If you’re going to make a stage musical out of a television show, 'Happy Days' is not a bad choice.

The show won’t ever win a Pulitzer Prize (or the musical-comedy equivalent), but the Goodspeed Opera House’s bouncy new production delivers a pleasant if not transporting evening, and – most important – the Fonz (Joey Sorge) is cool" and "Michele Lynch's choreography is one of the show's real assets".

[11] According to the show's official site, the "NY Daily News" wrote: "If you like GREASE you will LOVE Happy Days" – A powerhouse rock and roll trip down memory lane".