Craig Urbani stretches out on the couch, as if expecting someone to feed him grapes.

Even though he professes to despise the techniques of method acting, he is working very hard indeed at being cool.

He's had a good teacher. Henry Winkler, the actor who is forever The Fonz, came to Britain to hand over the mantle of the leather jacket. Now it is Urbani who can go around breaking up fights, punching juke boxes and pulling girls.

"Henry said to me, 'I'm giving this to you - take it. I'm not The Fonz now, you are'," he says of that meeting. It must have been another High Noon.

Urbani is an actor and musician of considerable experience (Buddy, Hair, The Rocky Horror Show) who has now become the first person other than Winkler to play the king of cool.

The occasion is a stage version of the Fifties-inspired Happy Days TV show, which has been a smash on its first national tour and is shortly to arrive in Bradford en route to the West End.

Like Winkler when he slicked back his hair and said, 'Heeeyyyyy!' for the first time, Urbani is 28. Unlike Winkler, he is South African - and he stands somewhat taller than the 5ft 61/2in of his mentor .

"It's a gift of a part," he says, his legs still draped over the sofa. "I'm not trying to emulate 100 per cent what Henry did, because I could never do that. I mean, that man has qualities that I could never have.

"Obviously, I've got Winkler-isms in there, but this is my tribute to his performance. Henry said to me, make the character your own."

Though the original Fonz has now returned to the States, leaving only his name on the marquee as Artistic Consultant, his presence has clearly left an impression on Urbani.

"I'm not a method actor - acting's just a job, after all. But Henry's such an influential man, it's hard not to be carried along."

The producers of the show (the actor Paul Nicholas is among them) have gone to considerable lengths to recreate on stage the old TV sets of Arnold's Diner and Richie Cunningham's house.

Into a plot concerning the impending demolition of the diner, they have peppered a selection of original 1950s rock and roll tracks, all performed live by the cast.

"I have to play keyboard, drums and guitar," says Urbani. "By the time we go into the West End, I'll have learnt saxophone."

The music, he believes, is the key to the show's instant success. "I tell you, it's immortal - it's the best music ever. The charm and innocence of that period is something everyone longs for today.

"It was a time when people danced. And when you danced, you danced together. People yearn for that kind of energy and innocence now, and you can't argue that it's still around - it just isn't. Today it's not cool to have that showbiz spark and energy.

"The proof is in the show. The reception's been better than we ever imagined, and it's still going from strength to strength. It's fantastic."

Davod Behrens

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.