OHS grad plays iconic TV character The Fonz on stage

By James Hanlon
Leader Staff Writer
Adam Silorey, a 2010 Oxford High School graduate, is portraying the king of cool, Arthur Fonzarelli (better known as “Fonzie”) in Happy Days the musical, live on stage at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
“It’s the long-lost episode of Happy Days,” Silorey said. “That’s my interpretation of it – it’s a two hour episode that never aired, and you have to see how it ends.”
Happy Days, the musical by Garry Marshall, features music and lyrics by Paul Williams and is based on the beloved television show that first aired in 1974. The show takes place in the late 1950s and revolves around teen Richie Cunningham and his family and friends, including Fonzie. The musical first premiered in 2007. This production runs Feb. 24-April 3.
“It’s fun to get to go on stage every night and just be cool,” Silorey told Broadway World in an interview. “Something that I love about Arthur that’s different from myself is that no one ever sees him sweat. No one ever sees him panic when he is faced with situations that are unfamiliar to him. That’s not me. I stress about everything-about every new situation. I can definitely learn from Arthur in that respect. Taking things day by day knowing what he has control over. He’d tell you he has control over everything, but we all know that’s not the case.”
Silorey admitted that before he landed the role, he had never seen a single episode of the classic television show. “So, I had a lot of cramming to do. But in preparing for the role, I watched every episode of Happy Days I could get my hands on, every YouTube compilation of Henry Winkler, whether it was him doing interviews about the Fonz or just a five minute video of him saying ‘aaaay.’ I have really grown to love Arthur and his community.”
The adolescent characters of Happy Days spend much of their time hanging out at Aronld’s Drive-in. Growing up in small town Oxford, Silorey remembered his favorite hangout in high school was the Meijer supermarket. “It’s funny, for my senior year of high school for mock elections in the yearbook, our senior hangout spot was actually Meijer,” he said. “You could go there and just walk around the aisle and see half of your class just shopping or hanging out. It sounds bizarre. It made sense in high school. Looking back, it seems kinda weird, but even when I would go with my family, we would see teachers, people from church. You went there to see everyone-the good old Meijer grocery store.”
Back then, Silorey was a familiar face, not only at Meijer, but also on the stage. He played Daddy Warbucks in the 2009 OHS musical “Annie,” and Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” in 2010.
Now holding a bachelor’s degree in theater performance from Cedarville University and an MFA in acting from Regent University, Silorey was convinced he was going to be a pre-med student when he started his college career. “It lasted one semester and it did not work out for me. It was really crazy. I was actually sitting in my dorm room, it was finals, and I was just so miserable. I saw an ad on Facebook for Disney World auditions.”
He flew down to Florida, passed the audition, and took off his second year of college to work as a character and parade performer at the resort, where he decided to switch his major to acting. His end goal is to eventually become the head of an MFA acting program.
Now based in Chicago, he’s had a successful stage career so far, playing characters from Dracula to Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days. This is actually his third show since the pandemic began. He performed in two productions, “The Dean Martin Variety Hour” and “First Date the Musical,” at theater companies in Florida last year.
The cast of Happy Days rehearsed in facemasks, which was challenging, if not distracting. “Singing and dancing is hard enough without facemasks. It was crazy. But what’s even crazier is rehearsing and not seeing your acting partner’s whole face. I’m a Meisner based actor, and that technique is based in specificity and taking cues from your acting partner’s every move. So not being able to see what half of their face was doing was a challenge. But it was so fun and so rewarding when we finally got to tech rehearsals and could take off our masks and put on our face shields and see these characters come to life – to see what’s happening underneath the mask.
“It’s funny, the first time we had face shields on, the spotlight hit me and all I could see was my own reflection in my face shield. I knew I had to move around stage, but I just stood there and sang the song. I had to figure out a way around that.”
Silorey added that he was thankful for the Dutch Apple theater and Prather Productions for “what they’re doing to keep the actors safe, to keep the patrons safe, and to keep the arts alive.”
Happy Days is a nostalgic show, taking the audience to a time when life appeared less complicated and community was valued. “We’ve had a crazy year. Being able to take two hours and relive a time in your life where life seemed simpler and slower is a joy. Personally, I really jive with shows that represent the importance of community.”
Silorey said the play is a rare opportunity to see your favorite Happy Days characters in-person. “It’s such a crazy time in our world, but art has the ability to transport you for a time. Come, check it out, have fun with us, and support live theatre.”

  Adam Silorey