Lea DeLaria & David Greenspan Set for Worth Street's Happy Days
DeLaria appeared on Broadway in On the Town for which she received a Theatre World Award and The Rocky Horror Show. Her off-Broadway credits include The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, The Vagina Monologues, Little Fish and the Encores! mounting of Li'l Abner. She has a solo jazz album, Play It Cool, out on the Warner Bros. label. DeLaria recently starred in a regional production of Once Upon a Mattress.
Greenspan received an Obie Award and Drama Desk nomination for his performance in The Boys in the Band. He received another Obie Award last season for his work in She Stoops To Comedy. He has frequently worked with Cohen; they collaborated on productions of Small Craft Warnings, Whoa-Jack! and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Happy Days centers on middle-aged Winnie DeLaria, an eternal optimist facing the harsh realities of life with a smile, endless chatter and an enduring cheerfulness. In the first act, Winnie is buried up to her waist in a mound of dirt, but she uses her hands to continue semi-normal activity, like brushing her teeth and hair. In the second act, she is buried up to her neck. Her predicament is never explained during her monologues. The only other character in the play is her husband Willie Greenspan, who only rarely appears or interjects, but is there throughout.
Happy Days is scheduled to officially open on February 15.